Butterfly Fly Away
by aussiebabe290
Summary: AU. Follows Ben Rafter and the trials and tribulations it takes to raise the daughter he and Melissa share. He knows its not going to be easy, and knows that he's not going to let his little girl forget who her mama is.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my latest idea- about the trials and tribulations Ben goes through, raising their daughter without Melissa around. I'm not sure how old little Ellie Rafter will be when this story ends... I have an idea, but that shall have to wait. Please read and review!**

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

His younger brother's watery eyes told him that the news he had just received was not sick joke, like he had hoped. The blue eyes that all four Rafter siblings shared were brimming with tears, but he refused to let his own fall. He saw his family- they were crying, but yet he couldn't let his own tears fall.

His wife was dead.

Not only was she a beloved daughter, sister, wife... she was a mother. Their daughter was only a baby- that night was their night, the first time away from their little girl. She was left in the completely capable hands of his brother, best friend and best friend's girlfriend, in their own castle. His parents, sisters, sister's boyfriend and grandfather were right next door, should anything go wrong.

But nothing was going to go wrong. It was their night.

He should have known someone's bubble was going to burst. Life was too smooth.

"Ben", his father Dave said gently, as he just stared at the empty shell of his wife. Ice cold to touch, he knew that she was gone. But he couldn't tear his eyes away, even though he knew the image would haunt his dreams.

"You can't go home tonight, darling", his mother Julie choked out.

"You can have my room", his older sister volunteered through her tears. "I can stay at Jake's".

He was quiet the entire ride back to their street. He saw the streetlights outside his house- the one he had shared with his best mate and his wife. She was his best friend- they shared everything. Everything down to a little girl they called theirs.

"Where's Ellie?" he wanted to know, shaking his head to rid the clouds. He hadn't seen the infant since he had kissed her goodnight, leaving her in the arms of his brother Nathan.

"With Retta and Jake". Carbo's eyes were red. He and Ben had argued over Melissa when she first moved in, but he had stepped aside when he saw the love radiating between the two.

"I'll get her", his grandfather spoke up. "Ruby's in bed".

"I'll check on her", Rachel mumbled, hurrying out of the kitchen, towards the little girl's bedroom.

Moments later, Retta, Jake and Ted entered the house, the infant in Jake's arms. He scooped the little girl up, holding her close.

The only thing little Eloise Rafter had inherited from her father were his piercing blue eyes. She was Melissa all over...

And it hurt.

"Mummy loves you, Ellie", Ben whispered, as he cradled the little girl. "She'll never stop loving you".

* * *

The house was dark, long after his family had gone to bed. He was back in his childhood home, on the lounge. Wide awake, because there was no way he was able to sleep. The night's events had shaken no one more than him. He had just lost his wife, his best friend, the mother of his daughter.

There was no describing the joy on her face, when she found out she was pregnant. He had been overly excited, rushing into everything. Redecorating a room for their little girl, choosing names and buying everything ahead of time. The room Ellie slept in was painted a pale pink (Retta had tried her hardest to teach them her 'colour therapy', but they weren't having it), a wooden cot in the corner. It was full of toys, both bought and given to her.

Melissa had been hesitant, that she wouldn't be a good enough mother. But she was amazing with Ben's little sister Ruby- who was barely a year old- and was even more amazing with Ellie. There were some things that Ben would never understand- how she knew exactly what their daughter wanted, how she knew what she needed. Even after two days of no sleep, she could be wide awake and gentle with her.

His father had made phone calls that night, phone calls that should have never had to take place. He had called Melissa's parents, telling them that they needed to come to Sydney. No one should ever have to hear that sort of news, he decided. Especially not a parent.

They hadn't seen Melissa's parents since their wedding, a year ago. They had planned to make it down to Sydney for Christmas, to meet their granddaughter and shower her with presents. Ben and Melissa had wanted to go and visit them in Perth, but with a newborn, it was too hard to travel. Melissa wanted her parents to get to know their granddaughter, to see their faces when they first held the little girl.

Now she'd never have the chance.

* * *

The next morning, Ben went home. Back to the house next door, the one he had shared with Melissa.

"Hi mate", Carbo said, a little too cheerfully for his liking. "How are you this morning, Ellie?"

"Pat and Linda are coming today", he said blankly, handing over the baby to her beloved uncle. "We're making plans for the funeral today".

Retta almost choked on her orange juice.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Nathan wanted to know.

"Couldn't sleep". He shrugged.

With Ellie in the care of her Aunty and uncles, he went upstairs, flopping onto the bed. He pulled Melissa's pillow closer to him- it smelt like her. The whole room smelt like her. Every morning, he would wake up to the alarm clock, and would lay there with his wife before Ellie would pull them back into reality.

He lay there for hours, breathing in the smell of his wife's perfume. The smell of her shampoo combined with her perfume made the sweetest smell in the world, he had decided.

"You still in bed, lazy bones?"

The sound of his wife's gentle laugh broke through the silence in their bedroom. His eyes popped open, and she was there. Standing in front of him.

"Come on, get up!" she laughed.

He knew he was seeing things. But there was something about it that made him smile. If he could still see her, he could still hold onto some sort of hope. Hope that she would be there when he needed her. There were things he couldn't do, things that he needed her for.

"Ben?" the knock at his door snapped him back to reality- and made Melissa disappear. "Darling, Pat and Linda are here. They'd like to see you".

"I can see her", he whispered.

Julie was torn. She had lost her mother, but had tried to stay strong for her family. Her father had been the one who had suffered, but had found a way to deal with the loss. She was completely lost when it came to saying something to her son.

"I'll be there soon", he sighed, when his mother said nothing.

"They want to meet Ellie".

"Ellie's with Carbo", he said monotonously, pulling Melissa's pillow closer to him. "Tell then I'm coming".

And he did haul himself downstairs, and out the door. When he arrived at his parents' house, Linda was sniffling about how much Ellie resembled her daughter. Pat was telling- no, instructing- Dave how he wanted the funeral to run.

But Ben knew he had the final say.

Pat wanted an open coffin and a burial.

Ben did not.

Closed coffin and cremation was settled on (after much argument and a lashing out on Dave's behalf), and Ben took his daughter back to his house.

* * *

"Ellie, I don't know what to write", Ben sighed to his daughter, the pen and paper in front of him. Ellie was in her cot, gurgling to herself, and Ben was in the chair beside it, a notebook and pen in his hands. "Life wasn't supposed to go this way, Ellie. You were meant to have a little brother or sister- maybe two- and we were supposed to get old and wrinkly together. That's what Mummy said on our wedding video. She told me even when we were old and fat and wrinkly, I was never supposed to change. No one ever factored this in. I don't think they ever do, Ell".

Ellie didn't say anything- she simply kicked her tiny feet against the mattress.

"She was my best friend, Ellie. We went through everything together. She knew me better, some days, than I knew myself! One day, I put a red sock in with the white washing, because I hate doing the washing. I thought that if I stuffed up, your mum wouldn't let me do it again. She caught on- and picked the red sock out of the washing before I could even start the machine". He chuckled slightly, but stopped. It didn't feel right laughing, after an event like that. "Mum says, Ellie, that time fixes everything. But how much time? When Nan died, it took Granddad ages before he stopped hurting. He said he still misses her, but it doesn't hurt any more. I can't imagine it not hurting, Ell. I miss her so much!"

He peeked into the cot, where Ellie lay, smiling up at her father.

"Your mum chose your name, you know?" he said conversationally. "We had a house meeting, to discuss names. Uncle Carbo wanted a Greek name, but Aunty Retta disagreed- she wanted to call you Lilly. I told them they could argue all they wanted, but Mummy and I got the final say- even though Mummy and I both liked Lilly. I suggested Tayah, but no one wanted that. They thought that was a bad idea. Mummy wanted Gracie, but no one wanted that either. I said Rose, and you kicked your mama. But she liked Ellie better. That's how you became Eloise Rose, you know?"

Ellie gurgled, and he stroked her soft hair, sighing at how much she looked like Melissa.

"You're not going to know your mamma, Ell. You aren't going to know what an amazing person she is. She wasn't real good at cooking, but apart from that, she's perfect. She always knew the right thing to say- she always knew what to do. You know, she didn't think she was going to be a good mum. But she's one of the best mothers I've ever seen- Ellie; you are one of the luckiest kids in the world. She loved you so much- when you first came home from the hospital, you didn't sleep. You refused to sleep, little one. We had finally got you settled, when we woke you up, just to make sure you were still breathing". He sighed at the memory, remembering how long it had taken to get her settled once more. "I'm not going to let you forget your mama, kid. She's too special for that".

* * *

It was after the funeral the following day that Ben allowed himself to sit down, to escape his family. he fell onto his parents' lounge, Ellie resting on his stomach. He was about to close his eyes when he heard her sweet voice once more. She was walking towards him, looking positively angelic.

"You're exhausted", Melissa said. "You need to get some sleep. Look after Ellie, she needs her daddy. I love you, Ben Rafter". She pressed a kiss to his lips, gently stroked Ellie's soft hair, and, waving, walked back to the yard.

Ben's wounds were still open, but given time, the wounds would heal.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I was fairly positive I posted this yesterday, but looking through my emails, it became pretty clear I didn't. This is one year on since the birth of Ellie... hopefully a tad more cheerful than the first. So, this will be my last update until we get back, so please read and review! I love you guys, I really do.**

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

**

* * *

**

"Hey Ellie belly!" Ben tickled the chubby tummy of his daughter. She blinked up at him angelically, her big blue eyes twinkling in the summer sunlight streaming through her window. "Happy birthday, sweetheart!"

"Dada!" she gurgled as Ben lifted her into his arms.

Laughing, Ben rocked her in his arms as he headed down the stairs. The little girl was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen. An angel from day one, she rarely cried- but when she did, Ben swore you could hear her three streets away. The spitting image of her mother, Ben knew she was going to grow up to just as gorgeous as his wife had been. Little Ellie Rafter was adored by her family, and she adored them just as much.

"Happy birthday Ellie!" Carbo cried, as Ben carried the little girl into the kitchen. The kitchen had been left in its usual state when she went to bed the night before, but while she slept; her father, uncles and aunty had decorated the house to the nines in balloons, streamers and banners. Sure, they had gone over the top, but it was the way her family rolled.

"Alright, Mum and Dad, Granddad and Chel and Rach and Jake are on their way over", Nathan reported. "Mum's bringing the cake- Pat and Linda are coming down tomorrow, right?"

"They couldn't get an earlier flight", Ben confirmed.

Upon the death of his wife, he had made an effort to grow closer to her parents. They were the grandparents of his little girl, and while he wasn't the fondest of Big Pat, he didn't want his daughter growing up without her grandparents. Even though they lived in Perth, they made a considerable effort to visit when they could- and, when Ellie was older, Ben knew he'd be flying across the country to visit.

"Happy birthday, Ellie!" Jake cooed, tickling his niece on her chubby tummy. "She's getting big, hey Ben?"

"Yep". He nodded in confirmation, passing his daughter to Rachel's waiting arms.

That day- little Ellie Rafter's first birthday- was one of celebration, an achievement for such a small child. The moment he had cradled the newborn in his arms, he knew that it was not possible to love someone more than he did at that moment. She had wrapped her little hand around her finger, and he had pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. His sister had captured the moment on film, and the photograph was sitting in a frame on the mantelpiece, beside Carbo's beloved ceramic rooster.

There were certain things that he hadn't wanted to deal with, in the first twelve months of his daughter's life. The death of her mother, for a start. If it was possible to turn back time, he would find a way to stop Melissa running the stop sign, on the way to the motel that fateful night. It had taken a long time for the pain to subside, and while he still missed her, he knew that everything would be okay.

"Time for cake!" Julie announced.

Everything would be okay, as long as he had his little princess…

Who clearly loved cake as much as he did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! I'm back- and in a nutshell, our holiday started with a ten our drive and an incident that is now known as The Great Molestation of 2011 and ended with torrential ran and sleeping in the car, a nine hour drive home. And we bumped into my science teacher. Things like that just aren't right. So, how's everyone's 2011 going? Read and review, **

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

Ben didn't think it was right that his baby, his little girl, was walking down the aisle of the church.

And when he brought that to his housemates' attention, they just scoffed.

"Mate, she's a flower girl". Carbo rolled his eyes. "It not like she's the one getting married".

Ben gasped. "Don't put my daughter and marriage in the same sentence!" he almost yelled.

Ellie looked up from the picture she was diligently colouring out of the lines. "Dada?"

"Sorry, baby", Ben soothed, reaching over and stroking the messy brown curls that adorned his daughter's head.

At fourteen months, his daughter looked more and more like Melissa, but her personality matched her father's. She was already a joker, and Ben knew that he would have his hands full. She was his princess, the little girl that the whole house adored. Already, Ellie was best friends with little Ruby, and the two were pretty much inseparable. They were more like sisters than niece and aunt, and Ben knew that the two were going to go through life much the same as he and Carbo had- best friends until the end, together every day.

"How cute did she look when she tried the dress on?" Nathan chuckled. "Her and Ruby... that photo's going on the shelf, Ben".

"Mum's already put it on the shelf", Ben half-groaned. His mother had taken advantage of the two girls, growing up only months apart in age.

"Well, I'm excited". Retta smiled, her happy nature making Ben smile, instead of irritating him like it had when they had first met. "She's going to be one of the most beautiful flower girls in the world, aren't you, Ellie?"

Ellie nodded, poking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she carefully scrawled over Cinderella's hair in purple.

"You're going to be a good flower girl, aren't you, munchkin?" Carbo used his finger to lift his chin so she could look into his eyes. "Aren't you, Ell?"

Ellie nodded once more, going back to colouring in.

* * *

"Hey Mum", Ben said cheerfully, as Julie carried Ruby into the house.

"Is everything ready?" Julie wanted to know, acknowledging her son with a kiss on the cheek. "Ellie, is she ready?"

Ben just sighed. "My daughter was abducted by her yaya. Mum, we aren't Greek".

"Rita's just excited, darling. you know she thinks of you as a son, Ellie's the closest thing she's got to a granddaughter", Julie tried to reason. "Anyway, I've come to get the flower girl, because the bride and your sister is waiting".

"I'll get her". Laughing, Ben advancing into the lounge room, where most of Carbo's family was waiting, Ellie lost somewhere in the mix. "Ellie? sweetheart?" he tried, over the Greek chatter.

"She's here, Ben", Rita called and Ben gratefully scooped the little girl into his arms, dropping a kiss to her carefully brushed curls.

Both Ruby and Ellie were dressed in pale pink, knee length dresses, their natural curls brushed back, a white flower in their hair. it wasn't their first wedding, either of them- Ruby had trotted down the aisle, holding Libby's hand, for Rachel and Jake's wedding, as Ellie sat on her father's lap, simply too little to participate.

The year Ellie was born, Carbo had made the resolution to be married within twelve months. it was love at first sight with Retta, and he had proposed only a week before Melissa was killed. The two were overjoyed, but the joy was sucked right out of the house when their housemate had died. Suddenly, they were faced with the prospect of a funeral and a newborn baby in the house, Ben barely holding on. So they had postponed their wedding, living together like a married couple for twelve months.

But, as Ben moved on with his life, they found it appropriate to start planning their wedding, Ben just as excited as they were. Ellie, although she was so young, was just as excited as her father and housemates, the dress she was wearing fitting perfectly and making Ben a little sad at how grown up she looked.

"Come on, sweetheart, come with Grandma", Julie cooed, setting Ruby to her feet and taking Ellie in her arms. Ben dropped one more kiss to her cheek, accepting the hug his younger sister was giving him.

"Love ya, Ell. Love you too, Rubes".

* * *

Ben could have melted at the sweet sight in front of him. With Rachel right behind them, Ruby and Ellie held hands while holding the basket, tossing flower petals into the aisle and making everyone coo. Rachel, grinning, gently pushed the two children towards Carbo's mother, Rita scooping them onto the seat beside her. he watched, as Julie embraced the little girls into hugs, as Carbo beamed.

He hadn't liked Retta at all, at his first glance. He was fairy convinced that she'd be an internet psycho- he had never believed in love at first sight, but it was a case of that for Retta and Carbo. But, as the time passed, he learned to accept the woman in his life, as she moved in. she was Ellie's 'Aunty Retta', and he knew that his little girl loved her as much as he had learned to.

The wedding was over the top and somewhat tacky, but it was Carbo in a nutshell (without the white doves- "they poop on the cake"). Drowning in flowers, he seriously hoped that none of their guests had allergies.

As much as he hated to admit it, Carbo and Retta were made for each other ("'Carboretta! Get it?" his best mate had giggled, upon learning Loretta's nickname. Ben, Melissa and Nathan had groaned, and Ben had believed that even Ellie, in her unborn state, had not approved). They were his best friends, his daughters' aunty and uncle, and their housemates. When he was married, Carbo had wished the two of them- as their best man- nothing but happiness, and a long and happy future together. While their future had not been long, it had been extremely happy, and Ben wanted the same for his mate.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" Ben held up his glass of champagne. "I'd like to make a speech, please!"

His older sister, the family photographer, had the video camera out- somehow, she had managed to convince Carbo, that at his own wedding, he deserved to be seen in some of the footage, instead of just heard. Focusing on her brother, Rachel stood back to watch the scenario play out.

Scooping Ellie onto his hip, Ben smiled. "Carbo and I have been best mates since we were four years old, growing up like brothers, and during that time we've done a lot. We went through preschool, primary school and high school together, and we've seen each other settle into the workforce, partying it up on weekends. In all that time, though, I have never seen Carbo happier than the day he met Retta. It was love at first sight, as they say, and from that day on, we heard nothing more. Even after she had left, that first day, we spent the evening learning her life story, repeatedly. From that day on, Retta was in our lives".

Carbo chuckled, and Retta smiled, remembering the day she had first stepped into the Karandonis castle. The whole world had stopped when he opened the front door, violins playing while birds sang in the background.

"When Melissa and I got married, Carbo gave us his blessing, and told us that he knew we belonged together. Even though she's not here today, I think everyone knows that Melissa is", Ben told the guests. "Carbo, Retta, I wish you a lifetime of happiness together, because that's what you two deserve. It's been a long road coming, but the two of you have found each other. To Carboretta!"

"To Carboretta!" their guests echoed, laughing gently and raising their glasses along with Ben. Setting Ellie to her feet, the little girl toddled towards her beloved aunt and uncle, scrambling into Carbo's lap.

"I love you, mate!" Carbo called to his friend.

Ben smiled. "Love you too, mate".

Rachel linked her arm with her brother, turning off the camera, resting her other hand on her six months pregnant tummy. "You know, Benny, I bet Melissa is here today".

"I think so too, Rach".

His sister smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, embracing the bittersweet moment. "Ellie knows it, too".


	4. Chapter 4

**Saw the new Rafters ad today, for like the millionth time. And I miss Melissa. Random, I know. Oh, and if we ever get the hairbrained idea to pull an all nighter sleepover the day before boot camp, I give you all permission to smack me round the back of the head with a cricket bat. Please. Read and review, my lovelies!**

**Love Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

Ben lifted Ellie onto the lounge, armed with a comb and tiny soft hair bands, to brush her brunette curls into baby pigtails. "Hey, is everyone ready?"

"I am!" Nathan volunteered.

Ellie let out a shriek, as Ben tugged the comb through her mess of curls. "I'm sorry, Ellie", he told her, "I honestly don't know how you get these knots in your hair".

"Daddy!" Ellie complained, turning her head and staring into his blue eyes, her own orbs burning into his. "Owie!"

"Sorry, baby". Ben kissed her cheek, gathering her little curl into pigtails. "Alright, we're ready! Who's coming with me?"

"I am!" Nathan called. "Carbo and Retta are taking the beast".

"Thirty years", Ben said wistfully, buckling his squirming daughter into her car seat. "That's quite a long time, isn't it?"

"Absolutely", Nathan agreed. "You know, when I married Sam, I was so convinced we were going to make it, like Mum and Dad".

"So did Mel and I. It's funny how life turns out".

Ellie beamed from the backseat. "Funny, Daddy".

* * *

"Happy anniversary!" Ben wrapped his arms around Julie, lifting her off the ground.

"Thanks, darling", she laughed gently, patting him on the back. Ellie let go of Nathan's hand, running through the restaurant and launching herself into Dave's arms.

"Ganpa!"

"Hello, beautiful!" Dave spun her around, making the almost two year old giggle hysterically. Setting her on her feet, Ellie scrambled into Jake's arms, smacking a kiss to his cheek.

"Thirty years", Rachel said. "Thirty years, Benny!"

"I know, right?" Ben agreed, taking the seat beside his sister and cooing over the bundle in her arms. "Hello, cutie! How are ya, darlin'?"

Jake and Rachel had named their daughter Shelby Grace, and she was the perfect baby, bringing the number of little girls in the Rafter family to three. Ruby and Ellie were already the best of friends, and the two doted over their niece and cousin. Dave had expressed the interest of having a little boy in the family, but he adored his girls. Ben was already teaching Ellie the basics of cricket, and Ruby had attended every game her father had ever played. While Ruby was the girly girl, Ellie had already expressed a tomboy nature.

"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Jake beamed. he had always been great with little kids, volunteering to babysit Ruby when she was an infant, holding Ellie when Ben was unable to. his own daughter was just the icing on the cake- much like both Ellie and Ruby, little Shelby Grace was a daddy's girl already.

Julie looked around, at her extended family. her four biological children- Nathan, single but living his life to the fullest. Rachel, a new mother and loving it. Ben, father to a gorgeous little girl, and Ruby. so young, with so much ahead of her. then her unofficial children, the ones she had adopted into the family. Carbo and Retta- Carboretta, as they had become known- newly married and still in their honeymoon stage. Jake, head over heels in love, as much as he had been when he first met Rachel.

Five years ago, she would not have expected their lives to be like that. Five years ago, she and Dave were sitting in the same restaurant, surrounded by their family. Ted, Ben and Rachel, and Daniel. she could pinpoint the day their lives began to change- their twenty fifth anniversary. Ben had moved next door with his best friend, and Nathan and Sammy had asked if they were able to move in- with rent. Rachel had left her abusive bedroom, crying the nights away locked in her bedroom, drinking herself into oblivion.

Five years later, her two boys were single, Carbo was married (as much as she loved her son's best friend, she honestly never thought she'd see the day), Rachel was basking in new motherhood, and she had an almost three year old. Dave's mother had made her way into their lives, and Ted had made himself a new friend.

as Ben observed his family, sharing his parents thirtieth wedding anniversary, he couldn't help but miss Melissa. he had imagined his life to involve her- if there was anything he could change, he would wish her back into his life.

"Daddy!" Ellie patted his hand, bringing him back to the conversation.

But aside from that, he wouldn't change a thing.


	5. Chapter 5

**So, I did some maths (I failed maths) and this story is going to be long. Like, really long. R&R!**

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

"Guess who's two?" Ben called, carrying his daughter on his hip.

"Me!" Ellie yelled excitedly, a huge grin on her face, exposing her pearly white baby teeth.

It was somewhat bittersweet, Ben thought. His daughter was two- two years since the day she was born, and more and more like Melissa every day. She had every one of his wife's looks, and the personality to match. Sometimes, he wondered if she had inherited any of his genes- and then she did something to make them all laugh, and Ben was brought back to reality.

Two was going to bring on changes into the little girl's life. She was going to start day care two days a week, with Ruby, as opposed to staying home with her grandmother and Retta on the days he worked. Their first family holiday- completely different to weekend getaways, Julie had assured him. Her first Santa photo (Ellie had a completely irrational fear of Santa Claus the year before, Ben had explained when he returned home), and the first year that she might have a chance of remembering Santa Claus.

"Two?" Carbo gasped in mock shock. "Are you sure, Ell? I don't think you're two".

"Yeah!" she argued, squirming until Ben let her down. "Unca Cabo!"

In the months since his parents' anniversary, Ellie had turned into a chatterbox. She had mastered her own form of all their names and the words she had heard around her (leading to a house meeting, declaring that swear words were forbidden, no matter the circumstance). All too often, they had heard Ellie's high pitched, giggly shriek as she ran through the house, chasing after one of the adults. Carbo promised that she'd get a cousin one day, but Ben wasn't holding that to him.

"Prezzies!" Ellie clapped her hands together excitedly when Nathan lead her into the lounge room. The stack of pink wrapped presents sat on the table and her blue eyes gleamed. "Where Gamma and Ganpa?"

"They're coming, baby". Ben dropped a kiss to Ellie's unruly curls, savouring every moment he had with his little girl- knowing that one day, she'd be leaving him. But that wasn't for a long time- for now, Ben was all she had.

"Love it, Daddy!" she declared, when she opened the first present, surprising him with a kiss full on the mouth, throwing him backwards. Retta and Nathan howled with laughter, as Carbo danced around with the video camera (bringing back all too many memories of his wedding for Ben). Tossing Ellie in the air (something that scared Retta every single time), his daughter squealed.

It wouldn't be long until she would be too big for him to do that to her- but for now, she was only two.

And two year olds ruled, in his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey hey hey! I've spent the day at the beach for my favourite little princess's sixth birthday, I love you, baby! And I can't help but notice that Valentine's Day is tomorrow... and I have to Valentine. I was telling my friends about this dilema that I had and was all, "I'm gonna die single and alone!" and my best guy friend was all, "Aw, Rhyles, you'll always have me!" and then my best girl friend was all, "Huh, which is worse...". So who's got a Valentine this year?**

**As well as it being cupid's day tomorrow, it is my brother's birthday! And, due to the fact that my older brothers have always found some way to publically humiliate me at school, I figured its only right for me, as the older sister of said brother, to do the same. Now, I won't be there (due to the fact that we're at different schools), but I have my ways... and he suspects squat. **

**Hopefully, I'll be able to update soon... read and review!**

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

"We're going to the beach!" Carbo whooped, as Ellie scampered down the stairs. "Come on, Ell, let's go!"

Ben laughed, slamming the boot of the little yellow car he owned. "Somehow, I highly doubt we're all going to fit in the car".

"Move it, move it, and move it!" Nathan bellowed, as Ellie crawled into the backseat. Retta, giggling, helped the little girl into her car seat, buckling the right straps and grinning when Ellie beamed at her aunt.

"Is everyone in?"

"Yep!"

"Are we ready to go?"

"Yep!"

So Ben started the car, reversing out of the driveway, waving goodbye to the big house they were temporarily leaving behind.

"Bye!" Ellie waved, calling out to her grandparents, aunts and uncle. "Let's go simmin', Daddy!"

"Soon, baby", Ben promised.

When he was a kid, he spent every single summer at the beach house, waking up at the crack of dawn to spend the day running up and down the soft white sand, splashing in the surf. He would only crash when he was completely worn out- sharing the bunk room with Nathan, succumbing to sleep very late at night. Whiting Beach was their little patch of heaven on earth, spending their summer holidays with his parents, brother and sister and grandparents. He had been thirteen or fourteen the last time they went to the beach, Dave and Julie deeming their children too old for it, feeling they'd rather spend their holidays in Carrs Park with their friends.

The last time he had been to Whiting Beach, he had had the biggest fright of his life, when Melissa collapsed with an allergic reaction. Penicillin, and had ended up in the hospital, while he paced up and down in the waiting room, Julie trying to calm her anxious son. But, he had learned that the experience had only brought them closer.

"I can't believe you guys agreed to Ben driving". Nathan shook his head, from the backseat. "I seriously can't believe it!"

"Shut up, mate", Ben said calmly, his eyes on the road.

Ellie giggled, her blue eyes twinkling.

"You're turning your two year old against me! I'm supposed to be her favourite uncle!" Nathan said in disgust. "And I am clearly the better driver..."

"Dad taught both of us; I'm just a better driver than you".

"Yeah Daddy", Ellie said absently, her eyes travelling towards the window to watch the passing scenery.

Ben laughed- it never failed to amaze him how much the two year old actually picked up on.

* * *

"And we're here!" Ben announced, stopping the little yellow car outside the front of the familiar beach house.

The drive had been long- exactly as he remembered. and it had been even longer, when Carbo read out the wrong street off the directory, and they had driven an hour off course before Carbo realised his mistake (Nathan had smirked knowingly, telling his brother that it served him right for not letting him sit shotgun, while Carbo had apologised profusely). Retta had read in the backseat, ignoring the bickering between the two Rafter boys and Carbo, Ellie conking out into a deep sleep an hour and a half into the drive.

"Finally", Nathan sighed, swinging open the car door and untangling his legs. The worse part about their summer holidays, he had always said, was the drive. Every year they had gone to the beach, he had been seated between Rachel and Ben, crammed in the backseat of their mother's old car. That year, he and Retta had taken the backseat, Ellie and her car seat in between them.

"Come on, Ellie", Retta said gently, unbuckling the little girl's seatbelt, jolting her out of her nap. Ellie's sleepy eyes blinked around, her face breaking into a smile when she caught sight of her father.

"Daddy!"

"We're here, gorgeous!" holding out his arms, he scooped the little girl up, kissing her rumpled curls. "Ready to go to the beach, baby?"

"Yeah!" Ellie enthused.

Abandoning the unpacking, the five headed down to the gate, leaning against it and catching sight of the soft sand, frothy white waves breaking on the shoreline. The water was a crystal blue, the bright summer sun beaming down on the deserted beach.

"Come on, Daddy!" Ellie bellowed, her eyes gleaming at the sight.

Unlatching the gate, Ben took the little girl's hand, laughing as she dragged him down to the sand. When she realised that she couldn't pull Ben any faster, Ellie dropped his hand and took off, her bare feet hitting the sand, the small grains sticking to her tiny toes. it was a brand new feeling for the two year old, being simply too young to remember the last time she had travelled to the beach.

"Don't go in the water", Ben yelled, as Ellie neared the damp sand of the shoreline. slowing down, Ellie curiously bent down and patted the sand, giggling as it stuck to her little fingers. appearing beside her, Ben brushed back the curls that had escaped from the messy ponytail, breaking into an even bigger smile as Ellie grinned up at him.

"Water, Daddy!" she pointed, and Ben lifted her to her feet.

"Come on, Ell", he said gently, holding her hand and stepping towards the water. as a wave crashed, the warm, frothy water hit his feet, Ellie's eyes wide as her feet were submerged.

"How that, Ellie?" Ben wanted to know.

"Love it!" Ellie cried excitedly, taking one more step forward.

"Not too deep, not without Daddy", Ben warned, watching his daughter in fear. Ellie had inherited his daredevil streak, apparently, and Julie was constantly reminding him of the things he had done when he was a child. climbing and exploring and giving his parents' grey hairs. Ben had been careful to take notice, keeping a watchful eye on Ellie at all times. and while Ellie was a daredevil, she tried to obey her father.

"Okay, Daddy", she agreed forlornly.

Ellie padded around in the shallow, the water only covering her ankles, for a little while longer, before Ben decided that unpacking the car was in order. So, carrying a squealing Ellie over his shoulder back to the house, the car was unpacked, and all five changed into clothing appropriate for swimming. The pink and purple two piece that Ellie was wearing made her look absolutely gorgeous, and with her hair tied back in two plaits (courtesy of Retta) made her look a lot older than her two years.

"Ellie", Carbo said warningly, holding up the floatation device that Ellie never went swimming without. with a sigh, Ellie allowed her uncle to strap her into the hot pink lifejacket, before taking off towards the water once more.

The afternoon was spent splashing around in the surf, building castles in the sand and tossing Ellie into the air, laughing hysterically when she hit the water with a splash. But, as the sun set in the sky, Retta decided that it was time to head inside.

"I'll give Ellie a bath while you guys cook dinner", she suggested, wrapping the sandy little girl in her favourite beach towel- Disney princesses printed.

"Okay", Ben agreed, manning the spatula and heading down to the barbecue to scrape off the years of grime before they even attempted to cook the sausages.

"Ellie's a bit of a water baby", Carbo chuckled, as Ben attacked the grill.

"She's absolutely going to love this holiday", Ben observed, wiping off the black charcoal and starting again.

Half an hour later, a pile of sausages were sitting in the middle of the table, the smell wafting around the kitchen and making them all drool. with Ellie in her arms, Retta came in, chuckling gently.

"The kiddo's a bit worn out", she observed, as Ellie slumped sleepily in her seat. general chatter took over, as they helped themselves to the barbecued meat, piling on the tomato sauce and discussing the plans for the rest of the week.

"We definitely have to rent a boat and go out to the island. remember that, Nath?" Ben turned to his younger brother, bring back memories of their childhood summers.

"That was awesome... we have to do that!" Nathan agreed wholeheartedly- renting a boat and going out to the island was one of his favourite traditions. They had taken the football and had scampered around in the sand, while Julie and their nan relaxed on the sand, loving the change of scenery.

"Absolutely!" Carbo pumped his fist into the air, looking at his niece to see why she was not shrieking excitedly. "Hey, Benno, look!"

Ellie had her head on the table, eyes closed, completely asleep.

"I think we might need to hold those plans for a bit", Ben laughed, pushing his chair back and scooping the little girl into his arms, carrying her into the bedroom the two of them were staying in. "She's out for the night!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy Valentine's Day! Now, let me enlighten you of how my morning went down- keep in mind that my school, much like many other schools in Australia, has a uniform. So, I arrive at school today and my best girl friend looks me up and down, as if she is examining me. And then she wanted to know why I was not dressed for Valentine's Day. Figure out the logic in that one, please (but I did tell her I was wearing pink hearts. Take one guess where I was wearing them). Read and review!**

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

"Come on, Daddy!"

The two year old bounced on the discarded mattress once more, giggling happily, reaching for the wooden frame. Ben smacked her hand away, sighing in frustration. "Ellie, for the last time, child, no!"

"But Daddy-"

"If Daddy's going to put your new bed together, you can't touch", he said firmly, and Ellie crumpled against the mattress, hiding her face from her father. With an even heavier sigh, he lifted the tiny brunette into his arms.

"Ellie, you want to go to swimming lessons, right?"

"Yeah!" she enthused.

After the trip to the beach in the summer, Ben knew it was inevitable that he'd have to book his daughter in for swimming lessons. being the daredevil she was, she would quite often head out a lot deeper than she could handle, causing him (and Carbo- he claimed that the little girl was the cause of his single grey hair) to shriek around in a panic until Ellie was once more standing in ankle deep water.

But the delivery man had decided to drop off Ellie's new bed on the same day the child was scheduled to start swimming lessons. And Ellie, apparently, had inherited Rachel Rafter's patience.

Therefore, she had none.

"Ellie!"

Pulling her off the mattress once more, he carried her to the door. "Where is your uncle? CARBO!"

"What?" Carbo bellowed back.

"Unca Carbo!"

And Ellie took off down the stairs, leaving Ben standing, completely bewildered, in front of pieces of his daughter's brand new bed. He contemplated calling his best mate up into the room to help, but he knew that Ellie completely idolised her Uncle, and would no doubt follow and get underfoot.

So, armed with tools, he dove into the job headfirst.

* * *

"Go! Go! Go!" Ellie squealed, as Carbo twisted and turned the remote around in his hands, yelling at the television all the while. Ben stood in the doorway, nursing his seemingly broken hand, staring in absolute horror.

"Are you seriously teaching my two year old how to play video games?" he wanted to know.

Carbo dropped the controller guiltily. "No! Of course not, mate, I was simply showing Ellie... Ellie put that down!"

"You were teaching my two year old how to play video games. Are you kidding me?" Ben shook his head in amusement. "Alright, Ellie Rose, your bed is all done!"

"Yay!"

Scampering in the direction of the stairs, they heard an even louder shriek when she discovered the bed in place of her cot.

The decision to buy Ellie a bed had been quite an easy one- when the little girl had crawled into his bed, pulling at his eyelid until he woke up, he knew that something had to be done. He was not rushing his daughter to the hospital in the middle of the night because she had fallen and cracked her head open.

That just wouldn't go down well.

"Love it, Daddy!"

"I'm glad, babe! Ready to go swimming?"

"You planned this quite well, didn't you?"Nathan said, stepping in the doorway. Trotting down the stairs, Ellie's ear to grin grew even wider when she saw her uncle.

"Unca Nafan! You comin' simmin'?"

"I think I will Ellie belly", he agreed, swinging her into the air. "What do you think, should I?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

"What a water baby, hey?" Ben laughed, as his daughter kicked her legs obediently, the instructor holding her by the back. Once they reached the side of the pool, Nikki lifted the two year old to the side of the pool, and Ellie beamed at her father.

"Daddy, didja see?"

"I saw, baby!" Ben enthused, as the sopping wet little girl tossed herself at him, leaving an Ellie-sized damp patch on his grey shirt. "Oh, thanks for that, munchkin".

"S'kay, Daddy". Ellie's blue eyes gleamed, as she slid back into the pool.

* * *

"You're going to stay in your bed tonight, right?" Ben said sternly, as Ellie climbed into her brand new bed.

"Yep". The two year old nodded excitedly.

"She's not going to stay in her bed", Carbo whispered to Nathan, the latter trying not to laugh. Retta shot the two of them a look, as Ben pulled up her blankets.

"Oh, absolutely", Nathan agreed, a chuckle escaping his lips.

Ellie just grinned innocently from under the blankets.


	8. Chapter 8

**So, I was asked the other day how many people I graduated with. I told them sixty five, because that was how many people I graduated with. But they nearly died when I told them, four years ago, there was a hundred and eight. We lost nearly half of our year. Funny how things like that work... read and review!**

**xoxox Rhyleigh **

* * *

"Ready to go?" Ben jiggled Ellie in his arms, before setting the almost three year old on the bench to strap her shoes on. "Picnic in the park today!"

"Let's go!" Ellie enthused, kicking her feet and very nearly taking out her father's front teeth. "Sorry, Daddy".

"It's alright, Ell", Ben chuckled; tying up the laces of the very tiny high top sneakers (that Retta had bought for the tiny girl, declaring how adorable they were. And while Ben had admitted they were cute, it didn't excuse the fact that tying high tops onto a wriggly, giggly two year old was one of the hardest tasks he'd performed).

Once her shoes were tied and the stray hairs were pinned back with the Cinderella hair clip that Ellie adored so much, Ben helped the little girl off the bench, allowing her to scamper off to find her aunt and uncles. "Come on, guys, let's go!"

The picnic in the park was an event they'd been planning for a month- but every time they thought they had a date planned, where no one was busy, something came up. Events at the boat club, a new job... you name it, and it had interfered with their plans.

But it was the perfect day, and everyone was free. Julie had jumped at the opportunity.

Lifting the esky into the boot of his little yellow car, he yelled out for his housemates. "Are you guys coming or not?"

"We're coming!" Carbo shrieked, thundering down the stairs with Ellie sitting on his shoulders, shrieking with laughter.

"You know, after a whole day of that, you're going to regret it", Nathan told him knowingly (he had volunteered to babysit both Ellie and Ruby the weekend before, and had found himself playing endless games of horsey and swinging them around by the hands, making them squeal. The little girls had loved it, and completely doted on their uncle and brother, but by the end of the day, Nathan was more worn out than the girls, and had staggered home to collapse on the lounge).

"No I'm not", Carbo argued.

Retta laughed- but she had grown used to it. Nathan would tell Carbo not to do something, and to prove the younger man wrong, he would go ahead and do it anyway (much like a child would). She could count on one hand the amount of times Nathan had been wrong when it came to things like that (but then again, there were instances where she had Carbo had tagged teamed Nathan, and had found the both of them in a hole).

"Shotgun!" Carbo climbed into the front seat and Nathan sighed, reaching out for Ellie and strapping her into the car seat.

"Uncle Carbo's a meanie, Ellie", he told the little girl seriously.

"No!" Ellie cried indignantly. "I love Unca Carbo!"

"What about Aunty Retta?" Carbo checked.

"Yep". Ellie nodded animatedly.

"And Daddy?"

"And Daddy", Ellie confirmed.

"What about Uncle Nathan, Ellie?" Nathan asked, somewhat fearfully (with a child that had gotten genes from both Ben and Melissa, he had a right to be scared, he thought).

"Yeah", Ellie sighed. "Love you too Unca Nathan". Patting his chest, she pressed a slobbery kiss to his cheek.

* * *

"You all remember the Rafter rules, right?" Dave checked, his eyes scanning the proximity of people.

"Yes, Dad", Rachel droned. "We all remember the rules".

There were only two rules for Rafter family cricket games. One, the whole family plays, and two, there were no rules. They had been playing backyard cricket since Rachel, Ben and Nathan were little, and it only got better as they got older.

"Alright, Ellie, you're going to get this one", Jake called, tapping his bat against the ground. Ellie looked on eagerly, before toddling off to join Ruby and Shelby on the picnic rug.

"Huh", Ted chuckled. "I think we might need to wait a while, before that lot understand the greatness of family cricket".

"Come on!" Jake complained, tapping his bat impatiently.

So Dave bowled the ball, and Jake smacked it clean out of the park, resulting in shrieks from Rachel, leaping onto Dave's back. Suddenly, Dave was on the ground and Ben and Nathan were pounding towards the two of them, much like they had done almost every family cricket game.

"Daddy!" Ruby called, running and throwing herself down on top of the pile, Ellie on her heels.

As Ellie fell into her father's arms, Ben laughed and closed his eyes, squeezing her tight and rolling onto the grass.

At that moment in time, there was no one more important in the world than his little girl.


	9. Chapter 9

**So, on Wednesday at boot camp, Commando made me do six laps of the football field and I could barely move that night. On Thursday, I slipped from the bench and fell, almost breaking my foot. Commando was on the ground beside me, examing my anke, telling me 'Rhyles, its alright, you didn't actually hurt yourself, its just the shock! You're really okay!'. Tell me, dear readers, why do I torture myself by going back?**

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

"Daddy!" Ellie shrieked, her tiny feet hitting the carpet at an alarmingly fast pace. "Daddy!"

"Happy birthday baby!" Ben laughed, arms out wide as his daughter threw himself at him. "Three today, huh?"

Three years ago to the day where he was freaking out, when Melissa announced she had gone into labour. three years since Ben had almost gotten arrested for driving way over the speed limit (after refusing to let Carbo call the ambulance) to get his wife to the hospital. three years since he had first held his beautiful six pound, four ounce little girl in his arms, stroking her downy brown hair and looking into her huge blue eyes- the exact shade of his own. Three years since little Ellie Rose had first came into the world, and three years since his life had changed forever.

"Yep!" Ellie giggled hysterically. "It's my birfday! I'm three!"

"I know, bub!" Ben kissed her forehead, throwing her in the air and catching her once more. "We're gonna have a party, hey?"

"What comes before part b?" Carbo called from downstairs, and Ellie scampered towards her uncle's voice, thundering down the stairs.

"Party!" Ellie squealed, reciting the joke she had heard thousands of time before. Carbo laughed and threw her in the air.

"Party, hey Ell!"

"Party!" Ellie agreed.

"But there's a surprise for you, munchkin", Nathan called, coming into the kitchen with the cordless phone in his hand. "I just got off the phone, he's on his way".

"Santa?" Ellie said excitedly. "Is Santa comin'?"

"Not this time, baby", Ben laughed. "A different surprise- you don't know this one".

"I wanna know", she said firmly, clambering into her chair. "Please, Daddy?"

"Nope". It seemed his three year old had inherited his older sister's lack of patience. He had always thought that, but the words spewing out of the tiny brunette's mouth proved him right.

"Ellie Rafter, queen of drama", he drawled, stopping her in her tracks. "Back up, birthday girl, you'll find out soon enough! But we're having a party! Grandma and Grandpa and Jake and Rachel and Shelby are coming!"

"And Wuby".

"And Ruby", Ben corrected himself. "Can't forget Ruby".

* * *

"Coby!" Ruby called impatiently. "Come on!"

"I'm coming!" Coby called to his cousin, chasing after her and tossing her into the air.

"Me too me too!" Ellie squealed, taking after the pair.

One would hardly recognise the Karandonis backyard- it had been transformed into a fantasy play land for the littlest Rafter's birthday. Streamers and balloons hung everywhere, while all members of the party wore pink sparkly hats on their heads, strapped under their chins. In the fridge was a castle shaped cake (courtesy of Julie), Ellie, Ruby and little Shelby loving life as they partied it up.

And the big kids were having just as much fun as the three little girls.

"She's loving it!" Chel laughed, as Coby spun around Shelby. "All of them are!"

"Yeah, I'm just waiting until she's requesting her entire kindergarten class or something". Ben chuckled dryly. "Because I'm not so sure how that one's going to go down... and I can tell you all now, she's just waiting for her surprise. When we told her, she asked if Santa was coming. It's a little early for that, sweetheart, guess again!"

"Ellie's never met either of her uncles", Dave said slowly. "How do you think she's going to react?"

"Honestly? No idea. I'm just hoping she won't chuck a tantrum, that'll really boost his ego".

"She's three, he'll understand", Rachel promised him. "Mel'd be so proud of her, Benny. Both of you".

"I know". Ben smiled, as Ellie ran up to him, wrapping her arms around his legs and declaring exactly how much she loved him.

* * *

There was a knock at the door and Nathan headed to get it, his pink party hat still strapped to his head.

"Uh, hi", Dermott Bannon said uncomfortably.

"Hi!" Nathan said cheerfully. "Come on in, I'm Nathan- remember?"

He laughed. "Oh yeah! Hi! So, where is my niece? I can't believe she's three and I haven't met her yet".

"She's beautiful", Nathan said honestly, closing the front door and taking him through to the backyard. "She's so much like Mel- and a bit of a princess".

"We weren't that close, when we were growing up", Dermott said quietly, "But I still miss her".

"Everyone does", Nathan agreed. "Ellie! Your surprise is here!"

"Where?" Ellie's eyes shone, as she frantically looked around the yard.

"Oh my God, she's Mel all over", Dermott whispered.

"Except the eyes", Jake confirmed. "Hi mate, how are ya?"

"Not too bad, yourself?"

"I'm great", he laughed, as Shelby ploughed into his legs. "oof, careful, darlin'".

"Ellie", Ben said gently, lifting the three year old into his arms and carrying her towards his brother in law, "This is Uncle Dermott".

Ellie looked confused. "He's surprise?"

"Yeah, baby, he's your surprise". He chuckled, as Ellie looked at him critically.

"I dunno him, Daddy".

"Hi rug rat", Dermott laughed, seeing his little sister in the three year old in front of him. "How are ya, sweetheart? Happy birthday!"

"Not a rug rat", Ellie said darkly. "Uncle Jake's rug rat".

"Sorry", Dermott said quickly.

"Ellie", Ben scolded gently, setting the tiny terror to her feet. Ellie wrapped her arms around one of his legs, blinking up at Dermott innocently.

"I have a present for you", Dermott said temptingly.

Ellie grinned. "You Uncle Dermott?"

"Yeah", he said. "I'm your mum's brother".

She shook her head. "No Mummy".

"I know, sweetheart". He held out his arms, and surprising everyone, Ellie cautiously gave him a hug. "She's a cutie, isn't she?"

"Yes she is", Ben said proudly.

* * *

"Today went down well", Julie said, allowing Ben to rest his head on her shoulder. The mother son pair were sitting on the lounge of the Rafter home, Ellie tucked into her bed next door, Retta and the boys sitting downstairs. Dave, Ruby and Ted had both already retreated to bed, and Chel and the growing Barton family had long headed home.

Ben nodded. "She's not a baby any more".

Julie kissed the top of his head, as Ben smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

**Admit it. EVeryone was like this at three. And some people never grow out of it... one being me :) Anything interesting happening lately (my life has been so deadset boring)? Read and review, **

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

"Santa's comin'! Santa's comin'! Santa's comin!" Ellie squealed excitedly, bouncing through the house. "Daddy! Santa's comin'!"

"I know, baby!"

Ellie, as it turned out, was purely Rafter when it came to the holidays. She embraced the spirit, helping her father and uncles decorate the house (although cowering in fear of the waving Santa her Uncle Carbo had bought), down to helping her beloved Aunty Retta untangle the Christmas lights.

"Why doesn't someone just wind them up once we take them down?" Nathan suggested, as Retta attacked the lights, Ellie holding onto one end of the knot.

"I do!" she grouched, throwing the lights across the room, Ellie watching with wide eyes.

"Who's going to put the angel on top of the tree?" Carbo wanted to know. "We can deal with the lights later, sweetie".

"I do!" Ellie pumped her tiny fist in the air, and Ben laughed, hoisting her into his arms to rest the tiny angel on top of the tree.

* * *

"Remember how every year we would go outside and wish on the brightest star?" Ben asked Carbo, as the two clinked their beer bottles together.

"Yep". He nodded, smiling fondly at the memory. "I think Ell and Rubes will do that one day".

It was Christmas Eve, and everything was ready. Stockings had been hung, presents had been wrapped and put under the tree, and Ben had munched his way through the mountain of chocolate chip biscuits Ellie had set out for him. Retta had read _The Night Before Christmas_ (a tradition started the year she moved in), and the little girl was tucked up safe in her bed, visions of Christmas morning dancing around in her head.

The house they shared didn't have a whole lot of traditions- but everyone had to be there for the holidays. Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Easter and Anzac Day were the most important ones- a time for family, they had declared. And while they were a dysfunctional family, they were family nonetheless.

* * *

"Santa CAME!" Ellie crowed, at the crack of dawn.

Right then, Ben knew how his parents felt, for the first eleven years of having children. He had thought it was so much fun, dragging his parents out of bed before the sun was up, but right then, he wished that Ellie wasn't so much like him.

But her sweet little face, her brown curls escaping from their small pigtails, leaning over his, made it all worth it.

"Daddy, Santa came!" she said, overjoyed.

So Ben lifted her onto his shoulders and marched down the hallway, banging on Nathan's and Carbo and Retta's bedroom doors, Ellie shrieking once more.

"Did Santa come, Ell?" Retta checked (around the holidays, she was just as, if not more excited than the little girl).

Ellie couldn't have grinned wider if she tried.

"Yep!" she said excitedly.

So the little family of five spent the morning deep in wrapping paper, as they tore into the presents Santa had left them. Nathan made pancakes for breakfast, and they got dressed before trooping over to the house next door to open more presents.

(For Ellie and Ruby's first Christmas, Rachel had wanted to know whether or not they got Santa presents, to keep the two little girls from getting suspicious- and all three of the older Rafter children were going to milk it as for as long as possible.)

"Merry Christmas!" Ben cried, lifting his glass, to have his family chorus the same sentiment back.

"Merry Christmas!"


	11. Chapter 11

**School holidays! Party! So, I started mine a little early, with date night last weekend... a lot of Oreos and a night out with the girls- you learn so much about your friends at sleepovers (and, without going into a whole lot of details, tears were shed and they learned quite a bit about me too!). Now, I've devised a list, my school holiday goals:**  
**Get fit- boot camp every night and the treadmill. Losing weight is also included in this category.**  
**Bond with my goddaughter (born Thursday morning, the most beautiful little baby!)**  
**Complete homework/assignments (urgh. Teachers are adamant in killing my holiday mood, aren't they?)**  
**Update daily (ha ha ha, we've all heard that one before!)**

**So, read and review, and hopefully I can stick to them! **

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

**PS: For this chapter, cast your minds back to season 1, episode 11... seems a million years ago, doesn't it?**

* * *

"I don't like it, Daddy", Ellie begged, squirming to get out of her father's arms.

"I'm sorry, Ellie!" Ben whispered, kissing his daughter on the head, as he administered the correct dose of antibiotics. The little girl had been suffering from an ear infection for two days, and upon taking her to the doctor, had been given antibiotics to give her, in order to kill the virus.

Ellie wasn't a child that would scream when given medicine, she would simply give her father a look that plain and simply read 'why are you doing this to me?'- And Ben found that more heartbreaking than the tears.

"Aw, Ell", Retta cooed sympathetically, running a hand over her forehead.

"I don't like it", Ellie said firmly.

"You might feel better in the morning, baby", Ben said gently, allowing Ellie to kiss her housemates goodnight.

"Sleep well, Ellie", Retta said, accepting the hug from the little girl.

"See ya in the morning, Ellie", Carbo said cheerfully, ruffling the curls that made her look so much like Melissa.

"Good night, gorgeous". Nathan smiled at the cheeky little girl, the grin on her face bringing back all too many memories of when he babysat for both Ellie and Ruby. The two were an inseparable pair, a troublesome duo.

Ben pulled the blankets over his daughter's shoulders, kissing her on the forehead once more. "I love you, Ellie".

"Love you too, Daddy", Ellie uttered.

* * *

"Daddy!" Ellie whimpered, tugging on her father's blankets. Ben rolled over, blinking sleepily at the clock. Two in the morning- he hadn't been asleep all that long.

"Daddy, wake up!"

"What's the matter, Ell?" he reached over and pulled her onto the bed, yawning hugely. "What happened?"

"Daddy, I feel sick", she whispered.

"That's understandable, Ell, you've been sick for a couple of days now". Ben brushed his hand over her forehead, grimacing when he felt how hot it was. "Hold on a sec, Ellie, I'll just go and get-"

There was a retch and Ben groaned, as Ellie vomited all over his doona.

"Thanks, Ell, I needed to wash that anyway".

Ellie groaned, as her skin paled. Touching her arm, he was shocked to feel how tight her skin was.

"Ellie, we're going to the hospital", he said firmly, scooping her off her the bed, resting her on his hip as her ripped the doona off the bed. Running down the hallway, he hammered on Nathan's door, swinging it open and shaking his brother until he saw his eyes open.

"Mate! Nathan! Nathan! NATHAN! Mate! Get outta bed! Nathan!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Nathan groaned tossing his feet out of the bed and heading towards the door. "What happened?"

"Ellie- we need to get her to the hospital".

"Daddy!" Ellie whimpered, as Ben passed his daughter to his brother.

"What, baby? Are you going to be sick again?" he fretted, knowing how Carbo would react if the little girl vomited on his carpet.

"You forgot Bunny!"

Nathan passed the three year old back to Ben, before heading into Ellie's room for the stuffed toy.

"What the hell is going on?" Carbo emerged from the bedroom he and Retta shared, rubbing his eyes sleepily and glaring at his housemates. Nathan was scrambling into Ellie's bedroom to find her beloved toy bunny, as Ben bounced his daughter. "What's with all the noise, it's the middle of the night!"

"Ellie's sick, we're taking her to the hospital", Ben said shortly, taking the stairs two at a time, as Nathan followed, right on his heels.

"I'll get Retta, we'll meet you there!" Carbo jumped into action, running back to their bedroom to awaken his wife.

* * *

"Yes, hi, my niece, his kid-" Nathan pointed to Ben, "She's sick. We don't know what's wrong with her, she's gotta see a doctor".

"Alright, how old is she?" the elderly nurse wanted to know, looking at Ellie with concern.

"Three", Ben said, rocking his daughter gently, trying to keep her awake. "Come on, baby, talk to Daddy".

Ellie was limp in his arms, her skin tight, barely holding onto her beloved Bunny.

"Is she allergic to anything?" the nurse wanted to know.

"Not that I know of", Ben shook his head.

"Come on, sweetheart". The nurse led Ben and Ellie into a room, leaving Nathan to fill in the paperwork.

"What's her name?" the nurse wanted to know.

"Ellie- Eloise. Eloise Rafter".

"She's not allergic to anything, you said?"

"Not that I know of". Ben shrugged, as they hooked his baby up to a drip. "She's never had any kind of reaction before".

"Do you or her mother have any allergies?"

It was then that it hit Ben. Years ago, when they had escaped to the beach for a weekend with his whole family, Melissa had been put in hospital due to an allergic reaction to penicillin. The prawns that they had eaten for lunch were farmed, and the water farmed prawns lived sometimes contained penicillin. It had scared him stupid, that he could lose his girlfriend and best friend. But the reaction had been almost identical to his daughter's.

"I don't, but her mother was allergic to penicillin".

Ellie blinked up at her father, moving her hand to scratch the rash spreading up her arm. Ben could have kicked himself for not noticing sooner.

"We've got to run an allergy test, but that's most likely what it is", the nurse said casually, like it happened every day.

And, in the hospital, it probably did.

"We're here!" Carbo gasped, bursting through the doors of emergency, Retta right behind him. "Benno! Where is she?"

"Shut up, mate, this is a hospital!" Ben smacked him on the chest, leading the two of them to Ellie's room.

Ben sat by his daughter's bedside, as the drugs began to take place, holding her hand, watching her chest rise and fall with every breath she took. Ellie was so little and the thought of losing her broke his heart. He thought he couldn't live without his wife, but he proved to himself that he could. He continued because of the little girl on the hospital bed- before he was a father, he didn't know how it was possible to love someone so much.

"Daddy?" Ellie finally whispered, blinking sleepily.

His heart soared, as her sweet voice filled his ears. "Ellie!"

"Daddy, sorry I spewed". Her cheeks were pink, and she looked at him sheepishly.

He had to laugh. "It's alright, baby".

"You'd have hell to pay, if you chucked on the shagpile", Carbo warned, reaching over and ruffling Ellie's hair playfully. Ellie broke into a grin, squeezing her uncle's hand gently.

"So, missy". Nathan faced his niece. "Do you know what you'll be eating tonight?"

Ellie's eyebrows furrowed, as she searched his eyes for the answer. "What, Uncle Nathan?"

"Ice cream and jelly".

Her blue eyes shone, and she sat up straighter. "Pink jelly?"

"Whatever you request, munchkin". Ben dropped a kiss to her curls, savouring the one she planted on his cheek.

* * *

"So many visitors for such a little girl!" a nurse laughed, entering the room to check on the little girl in the hospital bed.

"I got flowers!" she said brightly, looking like a completely different person to the one that had entered very early that morning, colouring pencils sprawled over the crisp white sheets. "And Granddad and Grandma and Nanna got me books!"

Julie smiled at the little girl's enthusiasm. "Melissa was as right as rain when we got back, Ben, do you remember?"

"I can't believe I didn't think of it, Mum". Ben shook his head. "I was so scared, you know? I mean, all I could think about was losing her. I can't lose her too, Mum, she's everything".

"I know, darling. but you did the right thing, Ellie's okay now", Julie soothed gently, gently rubbing her son's messy brown hair- as she had all those years ago, in the waiting room of Whiting Beach Hospital. "You aren't going to lose her, darling".

"I know, Mum". Ben rested his head on her shoulder, despite being far too big to do so.

"Hey, Granddad! Nanna!" Ellie called.

"Yes, Ellie?" Ted chuckled.

"What is it, sweetie?" Chel wanted to know.

"Guess what Uncle Nathan said I'm gonna get for dinner?"

"I don't know, Ellie... spaghetti bolognese?" he named the three year old's favourite.

"Fish fingers and cheese?" Chel guessed, naming one of the culinary delights in the Karandonis Castle.

"Nope... ice cream and PINK jelly!"


	12. Chapter 12

**I do believe this is every father's worst nightmare... and I know for a fact that my own daddy has enlisted the help of my two older brothers (I mean, I love them, but seriously?) to protect me from any guy I should happen to speak to. But what Daddy doesn't know won't hurt him!**

**Read and review!**

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

Ted smiled, as Ruby, Ellie and Shelby scampered around the playground, laughing. There was nothing more he loved than spending time with his grandchildren- and great grandchildren. The little girls were the best of friends, and he adored all three of them.

"Granddad", Ben called, advancing towards him with a smile on his face. "Mum told me I'd find you here... how have they been?"

"Really good", Ted nodded. "Ellie's a little daredevil, isn't she?"

His grandson nodded, laughing- Nathan had volunteered to take Ruby and Ellie to the park the weekend before, and had arrived home with a little girl under each arm, a clammy sheen covering his face. While he would do anything for either girl, the Rafters had quickly discovered that the two together was a bad combination. Add Shelby, and it was a recipe for disaster.

But none of them would have it any other way.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ben said in alarm, as he watched his daughter take a little boy's hand, leading him towards the slide. "What the hell?"

"According to Ruby", Ted informed him, "His name's Edward".

"Excuse me; you let my three year old get involved with a boy?"

"Hi Daddy!" Ellie waved excitedly, and Shelby took off towards her beloved Uncle Ben.

Catching her and swinging his niece into the air, the only thing that was on the worried father's mind was the discussion that had to be had when he arrived home.

* * *

"Male meeting!" Ben announced, as Ellie fixed her eyes on the ABC channel he had changed it to.

"Male meeting, what is that?" Retta asked in annoyance.

"Sorry, sweetie, but it's important". Carbo pecked a kiss to her cheek, following Ben and Nathan into the kitchen.

"Is it bad?" Ellie wanted to know.

"I don't know, Ell, but we're being left in the dark". Retta craned her neck towards the kitchen, wondering what could possibly be that important that she was left hanging.

"I don't like the dark". Ellie, ever the loving little girl, snuggled into Retta's arms and Retta laughed, dropping a kiss to her curls.

* * *

"Boys", Ben said gravely, facing his housemates, "We have a dilemma".

"What?" Carbo asked fearfully.

"What exactly happened?" Nathan asked carefully. "You brought Ellie home from the park and you've been acting weird".

"You should have seen what I witnessed today". Ben shuddered in disgust. "it was a sight I'd never hoped I'd see". "That chick Nathan brought home last week?" Carbo guessed. "Man, mate, you must have had the beer goggles on that night!"

"Shut up, mate!"

"Excuse me, can we focus here?" Ben snapped. "I saw Ellie with a boy at the park today!"

Their reactions were nothing short of the ones he had been hoping for.

"What?" Carbo roared. "No boy's going near that kid!"

"She's three!" Nathan protested.

"Gonna be sneaking out her window-"

"Better not, she's on the second storey".

"Some boy my ass! That kid's gonna stay innocent as long a she lives under my roof-"

"Our roof".

"Thank you!" Ben held up his hands. "I don't know what she was thinking today- all in favour of locking up Ellie Rose until she's forty five?"

"At the youngest", Nathan added.

"Walla walla walla wincha!"

* * *

"You wanna know a secret, Ellie?" Retta checked, as Ellie blinked up at her curiously.

"Yeah!"

"You can't tell anyone, because it's a big, big secret", she checked.

"'Kay". Ellie nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm going to have a baby", she whispered into the three year old's ear.

Ellie's eyes widened. "Really?"

She nodded, a grin playing at her lips. "Yep. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I think it's going to be a little girl".

"Hope so". Ellie nodded furiously.

"Then we'll be even".

"Even?" Ellie's forehead wrinkled. She had only associated the word 'even' with what her father and uncles swore, after two of them pulled a huge joke on the other.

And, in their house, it happened often.

"Why?" she wanted to know.

"Because then there'll be three girls and three boys", Retta explained, ruffling the little girl's hair. "It's going to be a surprise, alright? I'm not telling the boys until dinner".

"Zippy lips". Ellie pursed her lips, making Retta laugh.

* * *

"I think we should order pizza for dinner", Nathan decided.

"Yay!" Ellie spoke up from the doorway.

"Man, I'm never having a girl". Carbo shook his head, lifting Ellie into his arms. "I think one girl in this house is enough".

"Really?" Retta raised her eyebrows, following the three year old into the room. "You wouldn't even consider having a little girl?"

"They're too much work, honey", he informed her. "Way too much work- we've had to have a meeting about protecting that kid right there!" he pointed to the child resting on the counter. "I mean, holy cr-"

"Child!" Ben screamed, shoving Ellie towards him.

"Cow", he said hastily.

"So you're going to freak out when I tell you I'm pregnant", Retta said softly.

Ben almost dropped Ellie. "What?"

"What?" Nathan yelped.

"WHAT?" Carbo's voice was high pitched, a lot louder than the others'.

"I knew, Daddy!" Ellie said gleefully, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Aunty Retta told me! it was our secret!"

"And I think it's a girl", Retta finished.

Ellie giggled hysterically as Carbo flopped faintly into a chair, her father seizing Retta in a hug.

"Congratulations!" Nathan enthused, joining the hug and completely ignoring Carbo.

* * *

**And before anyone jumps to conclusions, I totally didn't take the screen out of my bedroom window and climb out. Because that would be wrong.**


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter was inspired by the family shindig (favourite word ever) we had two weekends ago- a bonfire in the backyard, with sizzling sausages, marshmallows and sparklers. Good times, good times... it will also link with the next two chapters, which will cover her fourth birthday and her big present from Daddy.  
Oh, and during the next few days, I'll be posting a series of oneshots, all connected. So read and review!  
Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

When Ben was a little boy, his father would light a fire in the backyard and he and his family would sit around it, warming their hands and roasting (charcoaling, in his case) marshmallows. They had done it since he was a little boy and when Dave sent little Ruby next door to tell her older brothers about it, Ben jumped at the idea.

"I'm not sure about all the smoke", Carbo said cautiously, his eyes darting towards his wife's stomach.

"Carbo, sweetie", Retta protested, as Carbo spoke over the top of her. Ever since getting over the initial shock of his wife carrying his child, he had jumped into protective father mode- very much like he had done when Melissa announced her pregnancy with Ellie. He adored his child, despite the fact that Retta was barely twelve weeks along (Ellie was always pressing herself against her aunt's stomach, in the hope of feeling a kick, ignoring her father's warnings that she wouldn't be able to feel it for a while).

"It'll be fine". Nathan rolled his eyes, lifting Ellie onto the bench to wipe her face. "Can you not stay clean for five minutes, Ellie?"

The cheeky little girl poked her tongue out at her uncle, squirming as Nathan scrubbed at her face.

"Mate, you might be a clean freak, but she's three years old!" Ben smacked away his brother's hands, swinging Ellie off the lounge. "We're going to have a fire tonight, gorgeous!"

Ellie's eyes widened. "Daddy, no!"

"This fire's okay, baby- but you can't touch it", he warned. He had been instilling knowledge like that into his daughter since before she could walk- he, as a little boy, had pressed both his hands against the door of the oven, shrieking and having to run his hands in water for what seemed like hours to reduce the blisters. And he knew that Ellie, being a mix of him and Melissa, would no doubt do something like that unless taught otherwise (and even then, the chances were high).

* * *

With the fire crackling in the middle of the circle, the Rafter family and extras positioned themselves around it, laughing and talking and eating and drinking. Jake's younger brother Alex had Ruby and shelby's attention, as he told them stories of their beloved brother and father's childhood. Grace, Julie and Chel were laughing at Alex's antics, as Jake interrupted with his versions of what really happened.

Ellie was balanced in her father's lap, chewing on a gooey molten marshmallow, listening to the stories of her extended Rafter family, giggling at the faces Uncle Jake pulled. Ben, brushing back her hair, observed the atmosphere of his childhood backyard, remembering all the good times they had had.

It hurt, knowing that his little girl was never going to know her mother- and that was made obvious, as both Ruby and Shelby retreated for their mothers' laps. Rachel cradled Shelby gently in her arms, as Julie shifted Ruby from knee to knee. Ellie had enough love from everyone; making up for her missing mother, but it would never be the same.

That night, as the time passed, he planned out Ellie's fourth birthday present. It wouldn't necessary be physically the biggest present, but it would mean the most to her, growing up.

"Love ya, Daddy", Ellie whispered, smacking a sticky, marshmallowy kiss to Ben's cheek.

"Love ya, Ellie". Ben, laughing, kissed her cheek and tickled her tummy, making her squeal with laughter.


	14. Chapter 14

**State of Origin tonight! Go the Blues! Growing up in a house full of guys, I basically get shot if I don't support our team (I have been known to wear my jersey over my pyjamas, when it comes to Friday night football). In this case, NSW. So, all my darling readers out there, who are you supporting tonight? R&R!  
Rhyleigh xoxox**

"Look at this, Ellie!" Retta held out a black and white image towards the little girl, the unborn baby slightly fuzzy.

"What is it?" Ellie wrinkled her nose, staring hard at the ultrasound printout.

"It's the baby, Ellie!" Carbo said excitedly, jabbing his finger towards the blob that was his child. "That's the baby that's in Aunty Retta's tummy".

Ellie's eyes bulged and Ben watched the cogs in her head whir, bracing himself for the outburst.

"It's an ALIEN!" she screamed.

Aliens and monsters had recently become a part of the Karandonis house, after Carbo brainlessly told the three year old a story that he thought was appropriate. It was possibly the biggest mistake in his entire life, Ben had declared, upon crawling out of bed to search the house for monsters.

"It's a baby, Ell!" Nathan said quickly, trying to defuse the situation. It seemed his three year old niece had inherited her father's overactive imagination, forcing the adults of the house to check every nook and cranny before even thinking about retreating to bed. it had been going on for a week, and Nathan was well an truly over it.

"You sure?" Ellie asked fearfully, crawling into Ben's lap.

Shifting his daughter onto his hip, Ben carried her over to the bookshelf in the lounge room. Sliding out the pink baby book that had been a present from Sammy (she had sent it over from London, upon learning of the baby shower from Nathan, along with an assortment of baby girl gifts. A bouquet of flowers had been sent to the hospital, after she heard of Ellie's birth), Ben opened to the front page.

Melissa had been good at keeping records- and she had recorded every moment of her baby's life, right up until her death. The rest had been left up to Ben, and with assistance from his mother, he had stumbled his way through.

"Who's that?" Ellie pointed to the little black and white ultrasound image of her unborn self.

Ben chuckled. "That's you, Ell".

Ellie wrinkled her nose, staring down at the picture. "That's not me!"

"Yes it is".

"No!"

"Ellie, baby, trust me, that's you".

"No!" Ellie argued. Crawling off her father's lap, she headed towards the shelf, where Carbo's ceramic rooster and an assortment of photographs lived. Standing on her tippy toes to reach the 'baby girl' frame (just one of the many presents for the new parents, from Jake and Rachel), she snatched it down and carried it back to her father. "Daddy, that's me".

"You were in your mama's tummy, just like Aunty Retta and Uncle Carbo's baby is in Aunty Retta's tummy", Ben tried to explain, putting the baby book and the photo frame aside. Lifting the little girl into his lap, she reached to pat Retta's protruding tummy.

"Aunty Retta, did you eat the baby?"

"What?" Retta choked out.

"How did it get in there?" the three year old was innocent enough, but Carbo was quick.

"Ell, that's a question for you to ask Daddy".

With Nathan howling with laughter beside him, Ben simply glared. "Oh, how I can't wait for your kid to be born. I'm so gonna pay you back for all these years…"

"Daddy?" Ellie blinked her huge blue eyes up at her father.

"There's a whole lot more for me to teach her!" Carbo said cheerfully, poking Ellie's tummy and making her giggle. "She's gotta learn some stuff from her favourite uncle!"

"Hey!" Nathan squawked.

* * *

**And the monsters? Monsters are going to play a huge part in this story, after Ellie turns four. Because what kid didn't go through a phase where monsters didn't live under their bed? Just putting it out there, I had monster spray. Those suckers went down.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Huzzah! I'm back! Literally, I have been at home for like an hour over the past four days. Life is hectic. So, this has been written since Wednesday but we haven't had internet for me to post... how was everyone's long weekend? Read and review!**

**xoxox Rhyleigh **

**PS: And, just because she's so lovely, this chapter is for bubbles799. Just because I am me and I can!**

* * *

"Daddy, why can't I go with you?" Ellie wanted to know, sprawling herself over her father's bed. Ben tugged gently on one of Ellie's braids.

"Because, little girl, this is something that only Daddy has to do. You can come next time, alright?" Ben promised.

Providing there was a next time. He had accepted the date, unsure about how everyone would react- his daughter, especially. But everyone had been all for him going out to dinner with Emma. It had been almost four years, and as Carbo had put it, "Mel would have wanted you to be happy". If the roles had been reversed, he would have wanted Melissa to keep living her life, but not forget him. It would have been impossible, he had decided in the end, and had accepted.

"Promise?" Ellie batted her huge, dark eyelashes at her father and Ben laughed, rolling her over and tickling her tummy.

"Of course!" he peppered her cheek with little kisses. "Now come on, let's go downstairs so I can give Uncle Carbo the instructions for tonight".

"And Uncle Nathan and Aunty Retta", Ellie reminded him, as if he forgot who he needed to give backup instructions too.

"Of course". Ben lifted the little girl, in her Dora the Explorer pyjamas onto his shoulder, carrying her downstairs and making her giggle.

"Guys!" he called, depositing the tiny terror onto the lounge, "I'm going to head off now, alright? Ellie's already had ice cream, so make sure you don't give her any more. And Carbo, you've gotta check Ellie's room for monsters otherwise she won't be able to sleep".

"I know, mate!" Carbo rolled his eyes.

"Uncle Carbo's scared of monsters", Nathan whispered to Ellie, and her eyes widened.

"Daddy, Uncle Carbo can't check! He's scared!"

A sharp smack to the back of his head made Nathan wince. "Sorry, mate".

"Aunty Retta, you can check", Ellie decided. "Bye Daddy! We're gonna have fun without you!"

"Playing the guilt card, missy?"

Ellie simply grinned angelically, something she more than likely inherited from her mother. "Love you, Daddy".

"Love you too, baby". Ben smiled, letting himself out of the front door.

"Uncle Carbo, can we have ice cream?" Ellie said automatically, hearing her father's yellow car reverse out of the driveway.

"Of course we can!" Carbo enthused, lifting the child onto his hip and making his way into the kitchen. "Ice cream for everyone!"

"Chocolate chip", Ellie reminded him. "It's gotta be chocolate chip".

"Just like Mel". Nathan grinned, opening the cupboard for a stack of bowls. Carbo simply set the little girl on the counter, pulling out the tub of chocolate chip ice cream.

"Chocolate chip all around!"

* * *

"So", Ben started, but was cut off by the vibrating of his phone in his pocket. "Sorry, Emma, I've got to take this".

"It's alright", the blonde said pleasantly.

Seeing their house number flash on his screen sent a shiver of panic down his spine, as he stepped away from the table. "Hello?"

"Hi Daddy", Ellie said brightly.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey Ell. Aren't you meant to be in bed?"

"Uncle Carbo and Uncle Nathan are checking for monsters", she said pleasantly. "So I gotta say goodnight!"

"Alright, baby". He laughed a little. "Is everything okay at home? Uncle Carbo and Uncle Nathan behaving themselves?"

"Yeah. But Aunty Retta made them turn off the PlayStation coz it was too late". Ellie shrugged. "We played Gran Turino, Daddy!"

Ben made a mental note to smack Carbo over the head, the next time he came into contact with his best friend. "As long as you're good, alright? Love you, Ellie, I've got to go".

"Love you too Daddy!" she said sweetly.

Pocketing the phone, he made his way back to the table. "Sorry about that. My little girl wanted to say goodnight". He grinned sheepishly.

"It's alright". Emma smiled. "She sounds gorgeous!"

"Ellie? Yeah, she is". Ben grinned, the topic of his daughter making him smile every time. "She's nearly four, and has curly dark hair, but her eyes are blue. She's really cheeky, but could get away with murder in our house. A bit of a princess, really. But we wouldn't have her any other way. She's my comic relief".

"If you don't mind me asking", Emma said gently, "What happened between you and her mother?"

Ben swallowed hard. "We aren't divorced, if that's what you think", he assured her. "Melissa- she was my wife- passed away, when Ellie was about six weeks old. She was in a car accident, and was killed instantly".

Emma's face changed. "Oh my God, I am so sorry!"

"It's alright". Ben smiled at her. "It was a while ago, and I've convinced myself to move on. At first, I wasn't sure if Ellie was ready for me to date- I mean, she's only three-"

"I don't think you're ready to be dating, yet", Emma said gently. "I was the same way, when I first dated after the divorce. My son was convinced that every man I saw was going to be his new dad, despite the fact that his father found himself a new woman only a week after we separated".

"I don't think I'm ready to give Ell a new mother", Ben said finally. "Sorry, Emma, I had a really good night-"

"It's alright". Emma smiled back. "Just friends, Ben?"

Ben gave his second genuine smile of the night. "That sounds nice".

* * *

"UNCLE CARBO!" Ellie bellowed down the stairs, a shriek emitting her lips. "UNCLE NATHAN! QUICK!"

Nathan and Carbo were up the stairs faster than they had ever moved before, bursting into the glowing pink bedroom Ellie slept in.

"Ellie, what's the matter?"

"What's wrong, Ellie?"

"There's a monster under my bed!" Ellie was sitting among her blankets, pillows and toys, almost shaking with fears. "You didn't get all the monsters! I want my DADDY!"

"He'll be home soon, sweetheart", Nathan soothed gently, allowing the little girl to climb into his arms. "I promise".

"Then he can check the room for monsters", Carbo grumbled. "Wanna come downstairs and watch TV with us?"

Ellie nodded fearfully. "'Kay".

And when Ben opened the front door later that night, he found Ellie curled up in a ball in the Winnie the Pooh chair of hers, Nathan, Carbo and Retta watching TV like nothing was wrong in the world.

"Do I want to know?" he tried.

"I don't think so". Retta laughed, her eyes twinkling.

"Come on, miss, time for bed". And Ben lifted his little girl into his arms, carrying her towards the stairs, her head lolling onto his shoulder.


	16. Chapter 16

**GO THE BLUES! And happy third birthday to the munchkin that attempted to climb into my bed at four in the morning on Sunday, I love you baby girl! Thanks for all the reviews, appreciate it so much! Keep it up, you guys are awesome and I love you all!**

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

"Daddy, guess what?" Ellie barreled down the stairs, blind to the birthday decorations her father and housemates had spent so late the night before pinning up. "Daddy, I'm FOUR!"

Ben caught the little girl in his arms, swinging her around before peppering her with little kisses. "I know, baby, happy birthday!"

They had the decorations in full swing- the pink and purple banner, balloons tied to the back of the kitchen chairs, and the streamers hanging from the roof. All pink and purple, to match her princess themed party later that afternoon (Nathan had very unwillingly agreed to dress up as Prince Charming, just to make his niece's day). it was the very last birthday Ellie would spend as the only little girl in the house- the only child, Carbo had corrected.

And they were going to make the most of it.

There was a small mountain of presents waiting for her in the lounge room, Ellie found out, as Nathan unsuccessfully flipped blueberry pancakes onto plates.

"Feel any older, Ell?" Ben said cheerfully, handing her a glass of juice.

Ellie took a long, thoughtful sip before answering. "Daddy, I really do", she said seriously, sounding a lot older than she looked.

"See this photo here?" Nathan held up a frame for the little girl to see, as Ben cut the pancakes into bite sized pieces. "This was taken exactly four years ago". '

"Trip down memory lane", Retta smiled, remembering the exact moment the memory had been captured. Photographs did that- they froze a moment in time, to jog memories when minds failed. And in their house, they had a lot of photographs.

"I was so little!" Ellie squealed.

"You're hardly a giant now, Ell". Ben chuckled at his daughter's dramatics. "Come on, eat up! There's a party to be had!"

* * *

Ben could hardly believe that another year had passed, and his daughter was turning four. But then again, as he watched her bounce excitedly on the trampoline, Ruby and Shelby laughing hysterically along with her, he could. A lot had happened during the twelve months she was three, and he knew four was going to just as big a year. A lot more memories, a lot of moments to capture with the camera.

"I think Ellie should open her presents now, what do you think, Benny?" Rachel said conversationally, her son resting in her arms (a little brother for Shelby had been born nearly four months ago, and Dave loved the idea of having a little boy in the family. Harrison David Barton would be taught the art of cricket and football at a young age, the proud grandfather had informed his daughter). "Do we get any hint on what the big present is this year?"

"Absolutely not". Ben shook his head, eyes shining with excitement. He knew that the little girl would most likely be confused, upon opening the envelope, but once it was explained, her joy would be uncontrollable. "Hey Ellie! Girls, I think its time for cake and presents!"

"Aunty Retta made my cake!" Ellie told Ruby proudly, beaming at her aunt. Retta smiled, tugging gently on one of the braids Ellie had hanging over her shoulders (while Ellie loved Retta braiding her hair, the ball of energy struggled to sit still long enough).

"What kinda cake?" Shelby said curiously.

Carbo came out of the kitchen, balancing the cake carefully. "It's chocolate!"

"But before we light your candles, Ellie", Ben said seriously, "I think it might be time for your big present. Nathan?"

Nathan handed over the pink envelope to the newly turned four year old, Ellie tearing into it excitedly. But she was confused, holding up a card.

"Inside, Ell", Carbo prompted gently.

She held up a sheet of paper. "What's this, Daddy?"

Ben had printed out a picture of an aeroplane, and a map of Australia, drawing a line between their starting and finishing destinations. "We're going to Perth, Ellie. We're going to see where Mummy lived; we're going to see Nanna and Poppy!"

"We're going to Perth!" and Ellie shoved the card at Ted, flinging herself at Ben. Ben tossed her into the air (making Julie and Chel gasp), catching her and kissing her nose.

"We're going to Perth, Ellie!"

* * *

"Did you have fun today, baby?" Ben wanted to know, as he pulled up Ellie's blankets and tucked her in with her stuffed toys.

Ellie nodded sleepily, her eyes yet to loose their birthday shine. "I did, so much fun! Are we really gonna go to Perth, Daddy? To see my mummy's house?"

"Old house", Ben corrected. Melissa had always called the house she grew up in simply her house, whereas the Calamari Castle in Carrs Park was her home. "We really are, Ellie".

After checking the room for monsters and kissing her goodnight, Ben flicked on the night light and headed towards the door.

But a little voice stopped him in his tracks. "Daddy?"

"Yes, baby?"

"This is the best birthday ever".


	17. Chapter 17

**Chick flicks and my blankets. That's my Friday night sorted. 'Nuff said. Oh, and FYI? NSW Blues all the way! Still so darn excited about Wednesday's win. R&R!**

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

"Who's ready for Perth?" Ben called, opening the front door.

"Me me me me me me me!" Ellie ran towards him, arms out, brunette curls bouncing with every step. "I am! I'm gonna see Nanna and Poppy!"

"Yes we are". Ben lifted the little girl into his arms, kissing her messy curls. "Come on, kid, you packed?"

"You helped me pack yesterday". Ellie rolled her eyes. "Uncle Carbo says we're getting pizza tonight".

"Your favourite, right?" Ben checked.

"Yes!" she squealed, squirming to get down. "Uncle Carbo, Daddy's home! Let's get pizza!"

"Ellie", Nathan called.

"Please", she added as an afterthought.

"She's my kinda girl". Carbo ruffled her curls. "The house is gonna be pretty quiet without her, key? Ell, wanna come with me to get pizza?"

"Let's get pizza". Ellie nodded, taking her uncle's hand and patting Retta's overly pregnant stomach. "When's the baby gonna get here, Aunty Retta?"

"Pretty soon, sweetheart". Retta smiled as the baby thumped the inside of her stomach.

"But not before we get back, right?" Ellie said seriously.

"Absolutely not". Retta laughed, as Ellie followed Carbo out the front door, calling her goodbyes.

* * *

"We'll miss ya, Ells!" Nathan laughed, as Ellie wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Uncle Nathan, you've gotta look after Uncle Carbo and Aunty Retta, 'kay?" Ellie said seriously. "B'coz Daddy said we've never left them by themselves before".

"Alright", Nathan said, just as seriously. "You have a great trip, alright? Don't give Ben too much grief on the plane!"

"Promise", Ellie grinned, hugging him once more. "Now, put me down put me down put me down!"

Dropping the four year old to her feet, he had to laugh.

"A whole week to be spoiled absolutely rotten by the grandparent folk". Ben grinned. "She's going to be in heaven".

"She's lovin' life". Ben nodded.

"Love ya Ellie!"

"Love you too Uncle Nathan!" Ellie smacked one more kiss to his cheek. "look after the baby, 'kay?"

"I will", he said.

(And he would. There was no way Retta was going into labour without Ben being in the house- Carbo's reactions had been haunting his dreams since the day she announced her pregnancy.)

"Bye!"

* * *

"Daddy, how long are we gonna be on the plane?" Ellie wanted to know, as Ben helped her buckle the seatbelt. "B'coz I really, really, really wanna get to Perth!"

"Not too long", Ben said carefully. Generally, his daughter wasn't too bad when it came to travelling, but Ben had never been brave enough to stick her on a plane.

"So, two minutes? Planes go faster than cars, Daddy".

"I know that, gorgeous, but it's going to take a bit longer than two minutes". He pointed towards the window. "When we start to move, baby, look out the window. Then you can see us take off!"

And, when the plane did leave the ground, the look on the little girl's face was one of pure joy.

But then the questions started.

"So, Daddy, how much longer?"

Ben had a feeling it was going to be a very long five hour flight.

* * *

"We've gotta get our suitcases, right?" Ellie checked. "Because the plane ate 'em!"

The flight itself hadn't been bad- but in Ben's mind, Ellie's incessant questions made it seem a lot longer. He had never tried to explain the details of an aeroplane's engine to a four year old before, and had guessed the first things that came into his head. In her little backpack, he had packed what he thought would be enough to entertain her. Colouring books and pencils, I-Spy books, a little folder of her favourite DVDs and the little portable DVD player that in his mind was one of the best things ever invented, making travelling time easier for everyone. Nathan had thrown at him, before they had left, the book that he was currently reading the four year old- _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_. But after half a page, Ellie had looked at him, disgusted, and told him, "Daddy, you don't even do the voices like Uncle Nathan does!"

In Ben's eyes, Ellie's Uncle Nathan had a lot to answer for.

"Yep", Ben confirmed, nodding. "Ell, look over there!"

"Where?" Ellie's head whipped back and forth, looking for whatever her father saw.

"Ellie!" Pat called and Ellie dropped her father's hand, running as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Poppy!" she squealed, launching herself into her grandfather's arms. Pat pressed kisses onto her cheeks, making her giggle.

"Ellie", Linda said warmly, "You're here!"

"Hi Nanna!" Ellie reached out for her, as Ben pumped Pat's hand up and down.

"Hey Big Pat", he said with a smile.

"Ben", Pat greeted.

"How was your flight?" Linda wanted to know.

"It was alright- Ellie was bright eyed the whole time, watching her DVDs", he reported, tugging gently at his daughter's braids.

"I've never been to your house before", Ellie chattered, reaching for Linda's hand as they went to collect the bags. "Daddy says I was too little before, but now I'm big enough, he says we can come. And, Uncle Nathan said to me that maybe when I'm really big, I can come BY MYSELF!"

"That won't happen for quite a while, little girl", Ben warned, making Pat laugh.

"Guess who's at our house?" Pat asked Ellie, taking his granddaughter's other hand.

"I dunno... who?" Ellie's big blue eyes blinked innocently up at the older man, and he laughed.

"You aren't going to guess?"

"Ellie's not big on guessing games", Ben said in a low voice.

"Uncle Dermott". Linda smiled.

Ellie's face broke into an even bigger grin- she had only met her mother's brother once (and she had never met Joseph, who lived in London) at her third birthday, but the man had made a big impression on the little girl.

"Let's go, then!" she enthused.

* * *

"This is our house, sweetheart", Linda told Ellie, unbuckling her from the car seat they had borrowed from one of their friends. "This is where your mum lived when she was your age".

Ellie looked at the house in awe, eager to run inside and explore. But she reached for Ben's hand, the over confident four year old seeming almost timid.

"Is Uncle Dermott inside?" she asked quietly.

"Of course he is, darling". Pat smiled, lifting his granddaughter's suitcase out of the boot of the car. "Come on, let's go and see him, alright?"

"Where am I gonna stay?"

"You can stay with Daddy, baby", Ben said gently. He knew how Ellie disliked sleeping in strange places- especially by herself. She might have known all the people under the roof, but she didn't know the house.

"'Kay". She flashed him a smile, as Linda led them towards the door.

"Dermott! We're home!" she called.

Dermott yawned, coming into the doorway. But he brightened the moment he saw his niece. "Well, who's that kid?"

"It's me!" Ellie cried, running towards him and allowing her to scoop him into her arms. "It's me, Ellie!"

"You're so big!" he cooed, pressing kisses to her cheeks. "Wow! Where's the little terror I met a year ago?"

"I'm not a terror!" she protested.

"That's a matter of opinion, kiddo", Ben laughed.

"Uncle Jake says I'm a good girl", she said prissily.

"Yeah, but if you ask Uncle Carbo..." Ben left his words trailing, as Ellie gave him a pointed look. Dermott sat her down, and she wandered over to where a photo of her mother, as a little girl no older than herself, sat. Melissa was sitting cross legged on the trampoline, a huge cheeky grin on her face. "Nanna, is that me? Coz I don't remember that photo..."

The resemblance was uncanny.

"That's your mum", Ben said gently. "She was a cutie, wasn't she?"

"She looks like me", Ellie decided.

"You look like her", he corrected. "Come here, baby". He lifted her to her hip, allowing her to see photos on the shelf above. "See? How old was she there?"

"In that photo she was about thirteen", Pat told them.

"I bet you, Ell, that you'll look like that when you're a teenager", he told his daughter.

"But Daddy, that's a long time away!" she laughed.

When Ben and Carbo had first met Melissa, they had known nothing about her family, apart from the fact that they lived in Perth. she didn't speak about them, instead had made herself part of the Rafter family, fitting right in. when the family went on a weekend away to Whiting Beach, Melissa had ended up in the hospital, and it was then where she had confessed and told her boyfriend about the fight that had broke up her relationship with her parents.

He had told her that she had to mend the relationship they shared, but she ignored him- in her eyes, it was gone. It had been tough, but after the fight she had Ben had had, she had escaped back to Perth. Melissa had mended her relationship with Pat and Linda, and had even contacted her two brothers once more. They had come to Sydney for their daughter's wedding, but that was the last time.

They were planning on travelling to Carrs Park for Ellie's first Christmas, but as it turned out, Ben and Melissa's wedding was the last time they were ever going to see their daughter alive. They never had the chance to watch her mother the little girl she loved so much, and had never had a chance to see whether or not she and Ben would have more children.

And it was something they'd regret for the rest of their lives.

Ben had never been to Perth- at least, not to visit Melissa's parents. He had contemplated it- and had called them once, in an attempt to find his missing girlfriend- but had never actually stepped into his wife's childhood home. But standing there, in the homey living room, he could imagine a little girl- Ellie with hazel eyes, he thought- running through the house, tumbling with her brothers, laughing hysterically.

"You are going to stay in here, Ben", Linda told him, leading the way to the bedroom Joseph- Melissa and Dermott's older brother, the one living in London- had as a child. "And if Ellie wants, she can have Melissa's old room".

To his surprise, it was left exactly the way Melissa had described she had left it- even down to the books on the desk. It wasn't overly girly, but it didn't depict a boy's room- it was just Melissa.

The memories were bittersweet, despite sharing no memories in Perth. But, if Melissa had lived, they would have. Flying to Perth with Ellie for Christmas, watching Ellie play in the big backyard on the trampoline that had not been used since her mother was a child.

* * *

"One two three four, I smell an Elliesaur!" Dermott called, listening for the telltale squeal from his niece. Ben laughed, as he prowled towards the curtain, Ellie's tiny pink sandals peeking out from under the material. "I spy an Ellie!"

Ripping aside the curtain, he tossed the four year old into the air, catching her and planting a swift kiss on the top of her head.

Ben laughed, turning to Linda. "Nathan does this, when he comes home from work. Ellie's worked out that if she leaves a pair of shoes by the front door, Nathan will know she's home and will come looking for her".

"Has the baby arrived yet?" she wanted to know.

He shook his head. "Retta's still got another two weeks- she said it won't come before Ellie and I come home. I'm not sure how Ellie's going to take to not being the only little one in the house, but she's excited".

"I just wish we got to see her more", Linda sighed. "She's so little, so much like her mother".

"Not a day goes past where I don't think that", Ben admitted. "I mean, some of the things that come out of her mouth are direct quotes from Mel. She's so cheeky- already pulling stunts on Carbo and Nathan, but they love it. She's best friends with Ruby, which doesn't surprise me- Shelby's still a little bit too little to join in with their plots, but when they get older, they're going to be absolutely inseparable".

"She's going to have to travel for the school holidays, up here", Pat decided, coming into the room with cold beer for Ben and Dermott and a plastic Dora the Explorer cup of fruit juice for Ellie.

"Not until she's a little bit older- I don't want her flying by herself for a while yet", Ben defended. "I don't think I could take that! I have trouble admitting she's going to school soon!"

"She's so much bigger than when we last saw her!"

"And very, very opinionated", he said dryly, as his daughter glared at him from the top of the juice cup.

* * *

"Hi Mum!" Ben said, surprised to hear his mother's voice. "How's everything at home?"

"Its fine, darling- how's Perth?"

Ben laughed- it didn't matter how old he, his brother and his sisters got, Julie would always worry. "Its fine, Mum. Ellie's having the time of her life! She's playing with Dermott right now- she should be getting ready for bed soon, but God knows the next time we're going to get to Perth. How's Retta?"

"She was over here this morning", Julie sounded like she was smiling. "Carbo was on the phone to Rita for two hours today".

Ben winced- normally, Carbo made an excuse and hung up after two minutes.

"She's trying to convince him that she should fly to Sydney to help with the baby and he's trying to convince her not to by saying that the baby's not coming for another few weeks, and she's arguing how she should be there for the birth of her grandchild, and then she played the guilt card. I sent Rachel over there to tell him to get off the phone before Retta went into premature labour".

Ben laughed, picturing the scenario in his head.

"I have never seen Nick move that fast in my life!"

Ben smiled. "Mum, Ellie's having so much fun- but she saw a photo of Mel, about her age, and asked when that photo was taken. She was so convinced it was her- Linda's given me a copy to take home".

"She's Mel's carbon copy". Julie sounded wistful. "Ellie's so lucky to have family around her".

"I know, Mum". Ben smiled. "She is so lucky".

"Well, darling, I'll let you go. I just wanted to hear you voice". Julie smiled, knowing that her son was somewhere where he belonged. "I love you, sweetheart".

"I love you too, Mum". He smiled, putting down the phone and heading out into the hallway; in search of the little munchkin he called his. "Alrighty, Ellie Rose, time for bed!"

"Daddy!" she squealed. "That's not fair?"

"It isn't, is it?" Ben feigned surprise. "So I suppose you're going to tell me how it's not fair now, aren't you?"

"Yes. I'm having too much fun to go to bed, Daddy!" Ellie put her hands on her hips, glaring at her father.

"The fun can wait 'til the morning, baby", he promised. "From what I hear, Nanna and Poppy have some pretty special things planned for you!"

"Really?"

"Really", Pat and Linda confirmed.

* * *

"Daddy, I don't want to go!" Ellie wailed, kicking her feet.

"Baby", Ben said, for what felt like the thousandth time. "I'm sorry, but we're going to come back! It's not going to be forever, I promise- and Aunty Retta's going to have the baby soon! We have to get home so we can meet the new baby!"

"But I don't wanna say goodbye!"

"Then don't", he told her, looking into her teary eyes. "Ellie, look at me. It's hard to say goodbye, you know that, right? That's why you never say it. Say 'see you later', or 'see you soon', alright? Don't say goodbye".

"Why not?"

"Because 'goodbye' can mean forever, and we're not saying goodbye forever, are we?"

She shook her head.

"Alright". He used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Come on, baby, I know you're tired. Go and give Uncle Dermott a hug, Nanna and Poppy are going to give us a lift to the airport so we can go home and see Uncle Carbo and Aunty Retta".

"We've gotta go on another plane?" she howled.

It was classic overtiredness- Ellie had never been one for tantrums. But whenever she got tired, she made sure everyone knew it.

"And you're going to sleep the whole way to Sydney", he vowed, zipping up her little backpack and sending her down the hallway. "Give Uncle Dermott a hug, alright? Because we've got to get to the airport!"

Ellie trudged down the hallway, making her thongs flap against the hardwood. "Uncle Der-mott... I don't wanna go!"

"You can hide in my suitcase when I go back to work!" he whispered loudly. "Don't tell Daddy... quick, Ellie, into my room!"

She giggled. "But I wanna meet Aunty Retta's baby!"

"Then you've gotta go back to Sydney!" he sounded surprised. "I promise I'll come to Sydney to visit you when I can, alright sweetie?"

"Alright", she grumbled, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him tight. "I'm gonna tell Ruby all about coming here- d'ya recon she can come next time?"

"You're going to have to ask your daddy about that one", Dermott smirked. "See if he can brave the plane ride with two little girls... do you think he's that brave?"

"Daddy's very brave", Ellie said firmly. "Every night, he checks for monsters- one time Daddy wasn't home and Uncle Carbo had to check but he got too scared so Uncle Nathan had to do it! But Uncle Nathan didn't do a very good job so Aunty Retta let me sleep on my Winnie the Pooh chair in the lounge room 'til Daddy came home".

"I think your daddy's a brave man". Dermott nodded seriously, his eyes twinkling. "Come on, I'll buckle you into the car, what do you think?"

"Yeah... can you come home with me? Daddy won't mind!"

"I've gotta go to work!" he protested.

"But coming to my house is more fun than work!" she reminded him. "That's whatya said before!"

Dermott made a mental note not to say things that four year olds could hold against him, ever again. "I know, Ellie, but I've gotta get money so I can come and visit you!" when she didn't look impressed, he tried a different tactic. "I've got to go to work so when I come to your house I can bring presents too!"

"Okay", she sighed, allowing him to lift her into the car seat. Fiddling with the straps, he finally managed to buckle her in, securing her into the soft seat.

"Love ya, Ell. I've gotta come to Sydney and visit you soon!"

"You can have my room", Ellie decided, and Ben stifled a laugh at the thought of Dermott making himself at home amidst the pink and princesses.

"Alright", Dermott agreed easily, allowing Ellie to kiss him on the nose.

"Love ya, Uncle Dermott".

"Love ya, baby girl". Emerging from the car, he found himself chuckling in the face of the little girl's father. "Quite the character you've got there, Benny!"

"Don't I know it". Ben smiled, at the sight of his daughter, slumped in her car seat, moodily swinging her feet. "And I'm gonna pay for it, in a few years".

"Take care of her, mate". Dermott slapped his friend on the back, and Ben grinned.

"You too, mate. Come on, Ell, let's get this show on the road!" climbing into the backseat, he slammed the door, he and Ellie waving from the window.

* * *

"Bye Nanna!" Ellie wailed, wrapping her arms around her grandmother's neck.

"I love you, Ellie", Linda whispered, holding her tight. "Look after your daddy, alright? Be a good girl!"

"I always am", Ellie informed her, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I love you, Nanna. You too, Poppy".

"Love ya, sweetheart". Pat smiled fondly, ruffling the little girl's already messy ponytail (Ben was almost scared of the knots he'd have to untangle, upon touchdown in Sydney).

"Bye!" Ben called, lifting Ellie into his arms. She put her head on his shoulder, waving sleepily.

After farewelling her grandparents, Ben took a seat on one of the plastic airport chairs, Ellie's head on his lap.

Their flight was almost ready to board, when his phone began to buzz in his pocket.

"Hey mate!" Ben said cheerfully, seeing Carbo's name flash on the screen.

"Mate, I'm freaking out!" Carbo bellowed down the phone.

"What?" Ben was confused. "Mate, what's the drama this time? What did we miss?"

"Retta's gone into labour!"

"What?" Ben all but dropped the phone.

"What do I do? Call the cops, call the fire brigade, call the ambulance?"

Ellie sleepily opened her eyes. "Whassa matter, Daddy?"

"Nothing, baby, it's okay", he said soothingly, stroking her hair. "The cops and fire brigade are not necessary- just get her to the hospital. We'll be home tonight, Nathan's picking us up, and is gonna take us straight to the hospital, alright? Tell her to wait until we get there!"

"Mate! Do I call my mum? You know what she's like! 'Nikko, I did not push for twenty seven hours for you to wreck my body and break my heart'!"

"Twenty seven hours?" Retta howled.

"Good luck, Retta!" Ben chuckled.

There was a thunk on the Sydney end of the phone and Retta answered. "Thank you, Ben, and can you please tell him to calm down, and that calling the SES is not necessary? I don't think I could handle twenty seven hours of him!"

"She's gonna kill me! My own mum's gonna kill me!"

"Carbo!" Retta protested. "She's in Greece, she can't do anything!"

"Retta, I've gotta go- get Nathan to take you to the hospital, and make sure he comes to the airport tonight. Good luck, we love you!"

"Ben!" she wailed.

When Julie had gone into labour with Ruby, Carbo had freaked out, wanting to call the RSPCA. When Melissa had gone into labour with Ellie, he had tumbled down the stairs in an effort to get to the car, almost throwing the overly pregnant brunette into the backseat.

(Even though he would never say it to Retta, he was glad he wasn't there when she had gone into labour.)

"What happened, Daddy?" Ellie wanted to know, looking slightly more awake.

And she had her father under the impression she'd sleep on the plane. He knew there was no way the little girl would get any sleep in the hours it took to get home to Sydney.

"Uncle Carbo's having a panic attack, bub, because he thinks the plane is going to be late", Ben said easily.

"Daddy, when we get on the plane, can I watch the movie Nanna and Poppy gave me?"

"Sure, baby". Ben laughed, pulling her into his lap, waiting for their flight to be called.

* * *

"Is Uncle Nathan comin', Daddy?" Ellie yawned sleepily. It was a little past eleven, Sydney time- long past the little girl's bedtime- and Ben was left wondering if he had a new niece or nephew in the world or was still waiting.

"He'll be here, Ell", Ben promised, squeezing her hand gently.

And just as the words came out of his mouth, his younger brother came into sight. Ellie, despite how tired she was, took off running, leaping into his arms. Nathan caught her and spun her around in his arms, holding her tight.

"Hey munchkin!" he laughed, as Ellie rested her head on his shoulder. "How was Perth?"

"Good", Ellie answered, yawning. "I got photos to show ya, Uncle Nathan!"

"We missed you, babe!" he told her. "It was very quiet! Hey Ben".

"Hey". Ben smiled, grabbing their bags off the baggage carousel. "How's Retta?"

"They're still waiting", Nathan said.

"For what, Uncle Nathan?" Ellie looked at him curiously.

"To see your face!" he grinned, dropping her to her feet and taking her hand. "Come on, beautiful, let's go to the car. It's a bit of a drive home, and you look tired".

"I'm not!" Ellie protested, yawning and breaking her whole facade. Nathan gave her a pointed look, and Ellie sighed. "I'm only a little bit tired".

"Have a nap in the car, bub", Ben told her, as Nathan lead them back to his car. "Uncle Nathan put your seat it in, so you can sleep properly".

Ellie yawned again, as her uncle strapped her into the seat. "Alright..."

Closing her eyes, she settled against the soft material of the car seat. Chuckling to himself, he climbed into the passenger seat. "How's Retta?"

"Not even close, according to the update I got from Carbo about twenty minutes ago. He's freaking, Ben".

"I was too, remember?"

"With Mum or Mel?" laughter danced in Nathan's eyes.

"I didn't see you there, almost delivering our little sister". Ben glared at his brother, before turning to face his daughter in the backseat. Ellie's eyes were closed and her tiny chest was rising and falling with every breath she took.

"Home, or to the hospital?"Nathan checked, once they were out of the airport car park.

"To the hospital", Ben decided. "You'll want to go home, won't you?"

"I drove Carbo and Retta to the hospital", Nathan said, amused. "I can drop you at the hospital and take Ellie home to bed, if you want. I think she needs it".

"That might be an idea", Ben mused, turning his head to look at the sleeping little girl once again.

"Alright", Nathan hummed, turning off the ignition and opening his door. "With Retta's luck, we won't see the baby for another two days-"

"Hey, don't say that!" Ben laughed. "I think Carbo might lose his mind completely with that one... does Rita know?"

"He told me to call her, but there was no way I was going to endure that one!" Nathan laughed, as Ben unbuckled his sleeping daughter. The little girl was as limp as rag doll as she rested her head on his shoulder, breathing heavily. Ben knew there was no way the four year old was waking up again that night- while she was a fighter, she couldn't last without sleep. Julie had compared her to her father on many occasions- when Ben was a little boy he would only sleep to recharge his batteries, only when he really needed it.

* * *

"Come on, Ell, let's go and meet your little cousin", Ben said gently, pushing the door shut, as Nathan locked the car.

They made their way into the hospital, into the waiting room. They had received no update on how Retta was doing, but Ben was willing to stick it out, just like Carbo had done when Ellie was born (the man had gone from pacing impatiently to napping in a chair, waiting eagerly for his niece to come into the world).

"I'll take her home", Nathan volunteered, after twenty minutes. "She can't sleep on a chair, Ben".

"Alright", Ben agreed. Ellie was slumped in his arms, her head on his chest. Nathan scooped her off his brother's lap, adjusting her arms, ready to make the journey out to the car to buckle her into the car seat. "Give me a call when the baby arrives, alright?"

"Alright", Ben nodded easily.

"Mate!" Carbo burst out of the room, an ear to ear grin on his face. "Mate, she's here!"

Ben leapt to his feet with excitement. "What's her name?"

"Sophie", Carbo told him, motioning for his friends to follow him. So Ben did, Nathan following with his sleeping niece in his arms. Retta was on the bed, looking both mentally and physically exhausted, but overjoyed at the same time. A little bundle rested in her arms, and Nathan deposited Ellie into a chair to see his niece properly.

"Sophie Melissa Karandonis", Retta whispered, passing Ben the newborn. "Isn't she gorgeous?"

Ben had tears in his eyes, as he held his niece. "She is so beautiful", he said softly. "You did so well, Retta".

Ben could remember a time where little Ruby was that small- and Ellie, not long after. But it still amazed him, how something so tiny could make such a big difference.

Ellie was the perfect example.

"Welcome to the world, Sophie Melissa", Ben whispered. "Welcome to our huge, crazy family".


	18. Chapter 18

**Two years! Thanks for sticking with me, guys- but I'm telling you now, I won't be letting go of Ellie Rose any time soon! I've got too much planned (but I actually really struggled over this chapter, I wrote it about six times. Which explains the delay in updates). I'd love some feedback!**

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

Life in the Karandonis Castle had changed, from the moment little Ellie Rose arrived home from the hospital (at a steady ten kilometres an hour, much to Dave and Julie's amusement- Ben had been the one complaining when Dave drove at twenty). From the moment the tiny little girl was passed from arm to arm, they knew their lives would never be the same,

And yet, the same thing had happened when little Sophie Melissa made her appearance in the world.

But their lives took another turn, when Sophie was nearing six weeks old. Carbo and Retta had packed their daughter in the car to drive his mother to the airport (he loved Rita dearly, but did not want her staying with them for one moment longer. She was going back to Greece whether she liked it or not), and Ben had gone to work, leaving Ellie in Nathan's capable hands.

"Lets play Trouble", Ellie decided (after glaring out the window at the rain streaming down), standing on her tippy toes to reach the board game. Stretching as high as she could, she sighed to her uncle. "Uncle Nathan, could you get it for me?"

Nathan chuckled, and lifted the board game down, and the two settled themselves down in the middle of the living room. Ellie chattered incessantly, pausing only to count the amount of spaces to move her tiny red pieces.

But the ringing phone interrupted their game.

"I'll be back, alright?" Nathan tugged Ellie's pigtail gently before moving into the kitchen to retrieve the phone. "Hello?"

"Nathan?"

It was a voice that he hadn't heard in a long time, and although it was slightly accented, it was just as sweet as it had been before.

"Sammy?" he choked out.

He hadn't spoken to his ex-wife in almost four years. He could remember quite vividly the last conversation they had had- one that should never have happened. He had phoned her to inform her of Melissa's death, and the brunette had seriously considered jumping on the next plane to Sydney. But, as not to open old wounds, Sammy had simply sent the biggest bunch of flowers she could find, to the family she had left behind.

"Hi!"

There had been limited contact between the two- she would send flowers every year for Dave and Julie's anniversary, and Nathan had told her of the birth of his nieces and nephew, presents being sent to their parents in congratulations.

"Sammy, is everything okay, are you okay?"

Nathan couldn't deny it- a part of him did still love Sammy. Despite all the dates and failed relationships he had had through the period of almost five years, a part of him would always love his ex-wife.

There was nothing wrong, she assured him, hearing the panic in his voice. She was on her way to Sydney, and wanted to know if catching up was going to be alright with him. He was astounded- she had been the one to tell him that they had to move on, and he had handed her the rings back. They had closed the door- and yet, he agreed.

"Mum and Dad will be happy, you're going to have to come and see them, too".

"I will- how old is Ruby, now?"

"She just turned five- she'll be startin school soon. Ellie starts next year. Everyone will be really glad to see you, Sam".

Despite the distance between them, she smiled. She had never been called 'Sam' before she lived with the Rafters, and no one had called her that since she left. It was a nickname she missed.

They spoke for a few more minutes, before Nathan realised that the living room was awfully quiet. Bidding her goodbye, he stepped into the living room, to see Ellie sprawled on her Winnie the Pooh chair, colouring in.

"You took ages!" she accused.

"Sorry, Ell, it was an important phone call… wanna head over to Grandma's?"

"What about the game?" the little girl wailed, as Nathan tucked her into his arms, carrying the squirming four year old towards the door. "Uncle Nathan!"

"Ellie", Nathan said, kicking the front door shut and running through the rain.

"I'm gonna tell Daddy!" she decided.

Normally, a threat like that might have scared him. His niece was sugar and spice and all things nice, providing you were on her good side. Her bad side and you knew that things could hit the roof.

"Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!" Nathan screamed, setting Ellie down and allowing her to run off and greet Ruby. "Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum, where are you?"

"Anyone would think you're your brother", Julie chuckled, emerging from her bedroom. "Darling, what's the matter?"

"Mum, Sammy's coming home!"

"Grandma", Ellie called curiously, "whose Sammy?"

Julie's jaw dropped. "She was a friend of Nathan's, darling", she choked out, before turning to her son with a look that simply said 'explain'.

"My mum said", Ruby said conversationally, dragging her into the lounge room where her dollhouse was set up, "That Sammy was the only person that made Nathan happy, you know?"

"Did I meet Sammy?" Ellie said curiously.

Conversations between the pair were always entertaining- Ellie would listen intently to her best friend, barely a year older. And, because of the nine month difference in ages, Ruby was surely far superior.

"No, Sammy hadta go". Ruby shook her head. "But I did!"

"She was eight weeks old", Nathan said.

"Ruby knows everything when Ellie asks questions, you should know that by now", Julie chuckled. "What's this about Sammy?"

So he repeated the entire conversation, shocking his mother and flabbergasting his father and grandparents.

* * *

"Hello?" Ben called.

Ellie ran screaming towards the front door. "Daddy!"

"Hey bub!" Ben swung her above his head. "How was your day, miss?

"Good- Sammy's coming home", she informed him, kissing his nose. "How many people don't I know, Daddy?"

"Straight from the mouth of babes", Retta chuckled.

"That's the last time I ever tell you something, Ellie", Nathan sulked.

"You didn't say it was a secret!" she howled.

"You've got to be specific with four year olds", Ben informed his brother, setting Ellie on the table. "So, Ellie belly, tell me what happened when you spent the day with Uncle Nathan. Who told you about Sammy?"

"She called". She nodded in earnest, her big blue eyes blinking innocently up at her father.

If Ben had been holding her, Ellie would have crashed to the tiled floor. "She called?"

"Yep. And Uncle Nathan didn't let me finish playing Trouble, we hadta go to Grandma's!" Ellie shot another glare at her uncle.

"What's with all the hate towards Nathan?" Carbo wanted to know, coming in the door and catching a glimpse of Ellie's death state. While he loved his niece dearly, and would do anything for her, he was dreading her teenage years, where all the attitude Melissa had would come out in full force.

(Although Ben would never badmouth his little girl, he had already organised to ship the teenager to Perth, having her return only for holidays. Her grandparents had laughed, but Ben was fairly certain they thought he was joking.)

"Sammy's coming home", Ben told his friend, and Carbo let out an excited squeal.

"Sammy's coming home?"

It was that moment that Retta entered, her red curls soaked through, holding the baby to her chest. "Carbo, who's Sammy?" she wanted to know, her curiosity matching Ellie's.

"Nathan's ex wife", Ben answered, Carbo too full of glee to speak. "Carbo was crushing on her big time".

"I was not!" he protested at the top of his lungs, smacking Ben's shoulder.

"Don't hit Daddy!" Ellie bellowed.

"I'm going to put the baby to bed", Retta decided, heading towards the stairs. Ellie's eyes darted from her aunt to her father and uncles, undecided on where to go. So she climbed up onto the chair to watch the banter swapped.

* * *

Ellie, armed with a plastic wand and princess crown, danced around the front yard, stomping into a puddle in her gum boots.

Only the child of Ben and Melissa could wear a pink tutu and yellow gum boots, Sammy smiled, stepping out of the cab and thanking the man. Stepping towards the house, the little girl froze.

She knew that her father, aunt and uncles were always wary about her playing in the front yard- they much preferred her being out the back, where it was completely fenced in and they could see her. But for once, Ben had decided, while he did paperwork at the kitchen table, Ellie could splash out the front (because he wasn't going to fish her out of the mud).

"Daddy!" Ellie shrieked at the top of her lungs, taking off towards the house. "Daddy!"

Ben came very close to losing his right eye, as Ellie ran into his arms, dripping wet. "Daddy, there's someone strange coming here!" she declared, waving the wand. "We don't know her!"

"Good God, if Carbo's got himself another stalker", Ben mumbled under his breath. "Alrighty, Ellie, you go and get a cricket bat, I'll get the door, alright?"

"'Kay". Ellie, leaving four year old footprints on the tiles, scampered off to retrieve one of the many cricket bats. They took serious safety measures in that house, Ben noted, as Ellie carried back the heaviest of the lot. He would never forget the day that he and Melissa arrived back from their honeymoon, almost to be clubbed by Carbo and his vase, smelling as though he had gone out on a bender (and when questioned, he had no idea).

With the little girl gripping the bat, Ben swung open the door at the knock, his jaw dropping in surprise and hugging the woman standing there.

"Daddy!" Ellie shrieked, her arms wobbling.

With a clatter, the bat fell to the tiles, making the little girl jump.

"This must be Ellie, right?" Sammy smiled, after Ben let her go.

"Yeah". Ellie eyed her suspiciously. "Daddy, who's that?"

"Hey kiddo!" Sammy laughed. "You must be Ellie, right?"

"Yeah". The determined look never left her face, picking up the cricket bat from the floor. "I'm Ellie".

"I'm Sammy, nice to meet you".

Ellie's eyes lit up. "Hi! Ruby got to meet her, didn't she Daddy?"

"Ruby was eight weeks old, munchkin". Ben laughed a little. "Ruby's the queen in that girl's world, Sam. Come on in!"

Ellie reached for her father's hand, dragging the cricket bat behind her.

"I didn't mean to scare you", Sammy apologised to the little girl.

Ellie smiled shyly. "It's okay".

"You know your pink teddy? The one you tried to give surgery?"

"Mrs Pinkie?" Ellie grinned excitedly. "Yeah!"

(Ben would never forget the day where he walked into his daughter's bedroom- after almost an hour of silence from that end of the house- to find the little girl, armed with children's scissors and her beloved pink bear. He honestly thought that was going to be the day his eyes fell out of his head- something Melissa had claimed many times to be impossible- as Ellie tried to explain. "Daddy, Mrs Pinkie was sick like Uncle Jake! She hadta go to the hopsital!")

"Don't ask", Ben whispered to Sammy. "Well, Sammy gave you Mrs Pinkie, when you were born!"

"So I did meet you?" Ellie looked at Sammy in astonishment. "Ruby lied!"

"No, she sent it in the mail".

Ellie's shoulders slumped just a little, before padding upstairs (still wearing her gumboots) to retrieve her pink bear. While it wasn't dragged everywhere like her beloved bunny was, it bore battle scars and appendix stitches.

From that moment on, Ellie chattered non stop to her newfound Aunty, Sammy listening intently to everything the little girl had to say (where even Ben's eyes glazed over just a little sometimes). And when the others arrived home, Ellie was quick to make introductions, Nathan a little shocked at how quickly Ellie had made herself comfortable around the brunette.

"She's pretty, Nathan", Ellie said quietly. "I like her".

Ben knew, from the moment those words left his daughter's mouth that once again, life in the Calamari Castle was going to get even more interesting.

* * *

**So Sammy's back- and I'll admit, I laughed while writing the scene with Ellie and the cricket bat. Picture a mini Melissa with a cricket bat the size of her, ready to attack the innocent visitor. I have fun with this character!**


	19. Chapter 19

**I vividly remember my 'fun uncle' (I love that guy) doing this with me and my brothers, and my cousin and I when we were at his house (what he still claims to be the longest weekend of his life. Mum told him to get over it, we it was eleven years ago). It was the most fun we could have in the confines of a lounge room for the night! A lot of my childhood has and will come out in this story, because I lived the life, lol!**

**Read and review, **

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

"What happened to you, bub?" Ben glanced at his daughter, who grumpily folded her hands over her tiny chest. "Aw, Ellie!"

"Daddy, can I have a sleepover?"

"With Rubes?" he sounded surprised. "Ell, you've got your own bed at Grandma and Grandpa's, I'll ask Grandma if you can this weekend-"

"No, with someone else!"

He did recall hearing something about a sleepover- but at lunchtime with two little girls, his mind was more focused on actually getting food into their mouths than the conversations they were having. But a sleepover sounded vaguely familiar- he had thought they were planning their next attempt at an all nighter and midnight feast. And she really did have her own bed in the Rafters' house- a Tinkerbell princess fold up bed, complete with built in blankets and pillow (a present from Jake and Rachel for her third birthday).

"With who?"

Ellie shrugged moodily (sometimes, Ben wondered how he was going to cope when she hit her treacherous teenage years).

But then it hit him. "Hey Ell, wanna go camping?"

When he said camping, he didn't mean packing up his car and taking her into the bush, because he knew his daughter and she was the kind who would change her mind at the last minute. To the point where he would be rolling out his sleeping bag and getting ready to crawl inside when she would pipe up, "Daddy, I don't wanna go camping any more".

But he had a plan.

"Can we?" Ellie looked up at him, her blue eyes meeting his own.

"'Course we can!" he said cheerfully.

* * *

"Ben, what in God's name are you doing?" Nathan demanded, as Ben tossed things out of the cupboard.

"Ellie and I are going camping".

"Camping, like actual camping?" Sammy wanted to know.

"Absolutely". Yanking Nathan's two man tent off the shelf, he thundered downstairs. "Bub, you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Carbo wanted to know.

Ellie was sitting in the lounge room, ready to go. She was surrounded with all the necessities of camping, Ben was informed, as she proudly showed him. Marshmallows, her pink sleeping bag and pillow, and a torch. And, of course, the monster spray and her beloved rabbit.

"Ready, Daddy?" Ellie said eagerly, as Ben dumped the contents of the bag onto the floor.

While he loved his daughter no end, when it came to pitching a tent in their lounge room, Ellie Rose turned out to be more a hindrance than a help. She thought it was hilarious to crawl inside while he attempted to attach the poles, and was absolutely no help at all when he tried to turn it around.

But in the end, their tent was up, and Ellie was in her pyjamas, ready to crawl inside.

* * *

"What the hell is this?" Carbo wanted to know, sitting down on the lounge.

"The tent's right in the way of the TV", Sammy noted.

"Yeah, well I'm not bringing it up with him", Nathan decided, crossing his arms. But, after glancing at the glares he was receiving (from all three adult house members), he sighed heavily. "You know, I hate it when you people act like this".

"I like the pink marshmallows best", Ellie told her father.

"You just like pink", Ben laughed.

"Yeah…" Ellie blushed sheepishly.

"Ben, I hate you interrupt your camping trip", Nathan said cheerfully, kicking the back of the tent.

"Then don't", his brother said just as cheerfully.

"Your tent's blocking the TV".

"I don't care".

"Daddy, can we do this again?" Ellie turned to her father, her blue eyes sparkling. The little girl was so full of joy at something so small that Ben couldn't help but grin. That little girl's smile would always brighten his day, no matter what time it was.

"Absolutely". He pressed a gentle kiss to her nose.

"I love you Daddy".

"Ben! TV!"

"Shut up mate!" he bellowed through the thin tent wall, the four year old in pink pyjamas exploding into laughter.


	20. Chapter 20

**We might be officially one fifth through this story! I'm aiming for 100 chapters, but it might be slightly more... thanks for all the reviews! Just saying, I had a bottle of V this morning and haven't quite sat still since. Big mistake, I think. Read and review, **

**Rhyleigh xoxox!**

* * *

"Where's Uncle Carbo?" Ellie called, running through the house.

"He's not home from work yet, bubs", Ben said, staring intently at the recipe book and stirring the contents of the pot carefully with his wooden spoon. After four years of being a father, he decided that domestication was the way to go, and was trying his hardest to set something edible on the table every night, that didn't come from a box or a takeaway shop. He had produced spaghetti bolognese and fried rice so far- both with great difficultly.

(Even Rachel- the least domestic person in the universe- had to laugh. "How do you guys live? You're all useless!")

"I just got a message", Retta called, coming into the room with the baby in her arms. "He says he's got a surprise for us".

"The last time he said he had a surprise he came home and announced he was a florist", Nathan said dryly, Ellie climbing into his lap.

"Maybe he's been promoted", Sammy joked.

"Don't laugh, Sam".

As he stirred the sauce, Ben thought to the last surprise he had been let onto. It had involved kisses to his cheeks, screams of 'Benji Benji Benji' and the announcement that he was proposing to Retta. That incident, of course, had ended with a pregnant Melissa and himself sitting on his parents' doorstep in their pyjamas while the alarm that he was unaware they had, wailed. With a smile on his face, he turned back to his sauce.

"Guys, we're gonna be eating tonight!" Ben announced gleefully, waving around his wooden spoon.

"Domesticating yourself, Benny?"

"I'm going to be the only person in this house who knows to cook". Ben glared. "There's five adults living in this house, how is it none of us know how to cook?"

"I know how to cook jelly", Ellie said absently, reaching for a grape from the bowl.

The four just stared at the little girl, before bursting out into laughter.

"That's one step up from Carbo", Nathan agreed. "But seriously, Retta, where is he? He should have been home hours-"

The screech of a car horn cut him off, and everyone turned towards the door.

"What the hell was that?" Ben wanted to know, completely abandoning the stove and heading towards the hallway. "Come on, Ell, let's go investigate".

Taking her father's hand, Ellie padded out the front door…

To find Carbo standing proudly in front of a van.

"What the hell is that?" Ben demanded.

"Surprise!" he said excitedly.

"What the hell is that?" Nathan repeated, following his brother out into the driveway to see his housemate. "Oh my God…"

"Please tell me that isn't ours", Retta said faintly and Sammy reached out to take the baby from her.

"Isn't it beautiful?" he said dramatically.

"Isn't it a heap of junk?" Ben rephrased. "Where did you get it from?"

"I bought it! We needed a family car!"

The Calamari Castle had a variety of cars, parked in its driveway and garage. There's was Ben's yellow car, Retta's bright red car, the beast (sometimes, they were sure that Carbo loved it more than he loved his family), Nathan's piece of junk (as Ben so kindly referred to it on a daily basis), and the van from the flower shop that was there about fifty percent of the time (with no back seats, Ben had pointed out, before calling it totally useless. "Of course it doesn't have back seats! That's where the flowers go!").

"It's ours!" Carbo said excitedly.

"Oh my God", Nathan and Ben said in unison.

"You know, Carbo", Sammy said gently, bouncing the baby on her hip, "When someone buys a family car, they generally consult the family before bringing it home".

"They generally talk about it before even thinking about bringing it home", Ben corrected. "When did we discuss buying a family car? I don't believe we ever did".

"I've been thinking about it for a while", he admitted.

"Carbo's been thinking". Nathan shook his head in amazement, receiving a glare from the man in question.

"What are we supposed to do when we all go somewhere?"

Ben had to admit, it was a practical idea- they were currently taking two cars minimum when they were all going somewhere. The van, while it was hideously ugly and probably didn't run that well (the chugging of the engine gave that away), was a vehicle that could get them from point A to point B.

Hopefully.

"And we're gonna fix it up like we fixed up the beast!" he enthused.

"We don't drive the beast", Nathan reminded him.

"But we're gonna drive this one".

"I like it", Ellie declared. "Can we go for a drive?"

"Wanna sit in the front seat?" Carbo said excitedly.

"This I've gotta see", Ben murmured, the sauce on the stove the furthest thing from his mind.

So, with the whole household watching him, Carbo lifted Ellie into the passenger seat of the car,

"Sometimes you've just got to surprise the engine when you turn it on, but don't worry; Ell and I'll fix it". He shrugged, climbing into the front seat.

It was at that moment that Retta broke down laughing at her husband.

"Hey Uncle Carbo, we can go and get ice cream for dessert!" Ellie said brightly, buckling her seatbelt.

"My sauce!" Ben squealed, running into the house.

It was just another ordinary day in their house, Sammy laughed, as the ten seater van trundled out the driveway and down the road, a four year old giggling in the front seat.

* * *

**I wrote this one because I realised there was no 'family car'- and really, who else but Carbo would do something like this? **

**(Apart from Dave in one of the very first episodes.)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Happy early Father's Day to all the daddies out there! I love ya old man, hope you like your presents! Read and review, **

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

"We need to get Daddy a good present, Aunty Sammy", Ellie decided, holding out her hand for the older brunette. Sammy nodded seriously, latching her own hand into the little girl's. "And we need to get a present for Uncle Carbo; too, coz Sophie's too little".

It was Father's Day that meant the most to the little girl, a day that would only get more special as she grew.

"And we're gonna get special wrapping paper, too", Ellie told her aunt. "Daddy always gets me princess paper. Daddy likes _Toy Story_! Can we get Daddy _Toy Story_ wrapping paper?"

"I bet Ben'd love that", Sammy promised her. "And I think Uncle Carbo would love it too!"

Holding hands, the two wandered the shopping centre, keeping their eyes peeled for the perfect gift.

* * *

"Aunty Sammy?" Ellie whispered, tugging on the blanket. "Aunty Sammy, get up!"

"Mmm?" Sammy murmured, not opening her eyes.

"Aunty Sammy it's a 'mergency!"

"Whassa matter Ellie?"

"We gotta make Daddy breakfast!"

"Huh?"

"It's Daddy's Day, we gotta make him a special breakfast! Come on Aunty Sammy!"

Opening her eyes, Sammy glanced towards the clock, her eyes bulging a little. "Ellie, gorgeous girl, munchkin, its four thirty. Go back to bed".

"I'm too 'cited!"

So Sammy reached over and pulled Ellie into the bed, settling the little girl beside Nathan and herself. Tugging the blanket back over them, Ellie squirmed beside the two of them, waiting until the clock ticked to a decent hour and Sammy deemed it okay to head downstairs and make breakfast.

"So, what are making Ben for his day?" Sammy wanted to know, opening the fridge.

"Daddy and Uncle Carbo like bacon. Bacon and scrambly eggs. Daddy loves scrambly eggs when Grandma makes them".

"Does Grandma make you porridge?" Sammy wanted to know, taking out the package of bacon from the fridge, and Ellie nodded.

"Only sometimes... I like porridge but Daddy and Uncle Nathan don't. They say someone already ate it but I watched Grandma make it for me an' Ruby, and only we ate it!" she sounded distressed. "And I told Daddy and Uncle Nathan and they LAUGHED".

Sammy kept a straight face, as she tore open the packet. "I wonder why?"

"I dunno. Aunty Retta didn't get it, too".

Sammy just ruffled the four year old's messy plaits, giggling a little.

"Hope Daddy likes it", Ellie giggled (Ben had often said that his four year old had the attention span of a gnat). "I'm gonna go and sit in his bed when he eats it".

"I bet he'll love that".

Ben was awoken to the smell of bacon wafting up the stairs, making him look at the clock- at half past six; he was left wondering who could be possibly making breakfast that early.

But the smack of his door brought a grin to his face, as his tiny brunette bounced into the room.

"Happy Daddy's Day!" she squealed excitedly, jumping on his bed and burying him in a cuddle. "Hi Daddy, me an' Aunty Sammy made you brekky!"

"Thanks Sam!" Ben winked at the older woman, and Sammy chuckled, passing him the tray that Ellie had chosen.

(Sammy was left wondering how on earth they had acquired so many trays.)

"Aunty Sammy just helped", Ellie informed him prissily, helping him balance the tray on his lap. "I cooked, really".

"Hey Benno!" Carbo enthused, shoving open the door, his own daughter in his arms. "Hey! Ellie! Why does he get breakfast in bed?"

"I made you some too!" Ellie protested. "Aunty Sammy, can you help?"

"Course, baby girl". Sammy kissed her on the top of the head and the two disappeared down the stairs.

"Do I get brekky too?" Nathan called hopefully.

"You're not a daddy!" Ellie protested indignantly.

But breakfast for all was brought up the stairs, settling them in Ben's bedroom with their respective plates.

Ellie was leaning sleepily against her father- much to the amusement of Sammy- chewing on her piece of toast, Ben unable to wipe the smile off his face. That little girl was always able to bring a smile to his face, as she grinned happily. The photo on his bedside table- the one he saw from the moment he opened his eyes in the morning to the time he went to bed at night- was a perfect reminder of that. the two were sitting on the swing in the local playground, Rachel capturing the shot when she knew they weren't looking.

It was the little moments in life- like lounging around eating breakfast in bed- that meant the most, with his little girl in his arms.

He couldn't think of a better way to spend Father's Day.


	22. Chapter 22

**'Leaving all your assignments until the last minute just for the adreneline rush'. Totally this kid here. Got three due in the next two days- and six exams- and have I done any more but look at them?**  
**I think not.**  
**R&R!**  
**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

Ben Rafter had been reminded many times of what a daredevil he was as a child. Not a day went by where he wasn't covered in bruises and band aids, and he was left in a cast for eight weeks after taking a tumble. Ellie, his little girl, had inherited his daredevil streak, something that left him increasingly nervous every time he left her alone for more than a minute.

But it was okay. He would occasionally bring her to work with him, her tiny backpack full of colouring pencils and books, leaving her free to roam the club, taking refuge in the children's playground outside.

But, one particularly long day, he made the decision to leave her in the perfectly capable arms of Retta and Sammy, Carbo and Nathan only outside in the garage.

"Ellie, be good!" he called.

"I will!" Ellie sang sweetly, the halo above her head visible as she smiled angelically.

So he set off for the boat club, Ellie waving cheerfully from the driveway, holding Carbo's hand.

The day proceeded smoothly, until his shift was interrupted by the ringing phone.

"Ben", Emily called, holding it out for him. "It's your place! I think its Carbo, he says it's important!"

Ben sprinted over to the phone, almost dropping the stack of glasses. "Hello?"

"Hey Benny", Carbo said breathlessly. "You've gotta come to the emergency room".

"WHAT?"

"Ellie had an accident, we think she's broken her ar-"

"WHAT?"

"Its all good, calm down!"

(Carbo telling Ben to calm down when his baby girl had a possible broken arm did about as much as Ben telling Carbo to calm down did when he had a stalker. In other words, it didn't work at all.)

"We're taking her to the emergency room- be CAREFUL Nathan!- but she wants you to meet us there".

"OH MY-"

"Give me the phone!"

"Sam-"

"Give me the phone!"

"Sammy-"

"Hello?" Sammy said calmly (Ben had no idea how she could be so calm about the whole situation). "Ben, I need you to listen to me. There was an accident, Ellie is fine but is possibly sporting a broken wrist. You'd be proud of her, she didn't even cry-"

"Aunty Sammy can I talk to Daddy?"

"Put Ell on the phone", Ben commanded. "Baby?"

"Hi Daddy", Ellie said sheepishly. "Daddy, my arm really hurts, is it gonna fall off?"

"Bubs, your arm isn't going to fall off. Calm down, okay, I'm gonna get Em to cover for me, I'll meet you there".

"'Kay Daddy".

"Can you put Uncle Carbo back on the phone please?"

"Hello?"

"I can't believe you let her break her arm! I thought she was safe with you lot, oh my God!"

"She was safe, it wasn't like we told her to break her arm, we weren't like 'hey Ell, you know what would be funny? If you broke your arm! Yeah, Ben would think that's funny!' We weren't like that mate!"

"You're mental. I'm on my way". And he promptly hung up on his friend, looking around in a panic.

"Ellie broke her arm?" Emily said.

"Yep".

"Cover for you?"

"Yep".

"You're the boss!" she saluted him cheerfully and he grabbed his bag and keys, heading towards the doors.

He was fairly certain he broke the speed limits, speeding towards the hospital, but he got there the same time Nathan trundled up in the van, sprinting over to greet them. Ellie was very carefully nursing her arm, as Sammy unbuckled her from the booster seat, her eyes filling with tears as she saw her father.

"Hi Daddy", she whispered.

"What did you do?" he wanted to know.

"I fell. Off the trampoline. Wasn't even a big fall!"

(When they invested in a trampoline, they made sure to get one with a net. He honestly had no idea how Ellie fell off the trampoline when there was a net.)

Her wrist was swollen, and Ben was fairly certain it was broken, if not positive.

"Come on, we've gotta get that looked at". Taking her by her good hand, he led the troop into the doors of the hospital for the second time in as many years.

(Although, broken bones he could deal with. Allergic reactions to something that was supposedly going to help her and that could restrict her breathing, he could not.)

* * *

Two hours later, after x-rays and examinations of the little girl's arm, Ellie Rose was sporting a bright purple cast and a lollypop.

"Coz I was brave", she told Carbo seriously, before asking him to unwrap it.

"You were very brave", Carbo agreed seriously. "so brave I think we can have extra dessert tonight!"

"Chocolate chip ice cream?" Ellie said hopefully.

"Absolutely". He kissed the top of her head, Ben laughing and once more taking Ellie's hand.

"Chocolate chip ice cream for all!" Nathan declared, the elderly nurse at the desk smiling at the group as they left the hospital.


	23. Chapter 23

**Welcome to the world my little namesake! Little Rhyleigh Charlotte, born on Friday night. She's so so beautiful! Read and review,  
Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

Ten little fingers, ten little toes, a head full of soft, downy hair, bright blue eyes blinking up at him.

That little baby that Ben had held in his arms was five years old. A cheeky grin, showing her pearly white teeth, those big blue eyes that could get what she wanted every time, a giggle that brightened everyone's day.

"You're going to have a great time!" Sammy told the little girl, zipping up the back of Ellie's blue dress (Rachel had found the perfect Dorothy dress when shopping with Jake and Shelby, and the pair had bought it and silver shoes for their niece's birthday).

Instead of throwing a party, Ben had bought tickets to the Sydney showing of_ Wicked_- something the little girl had been dying to see ever since she had watched the movie under Nathan's supervision (_The Wizard of Oz_ had been a favourite in the Rafter household, for the older three kids). But it didn't mean that Ellie didn't get to see her family. Everyone had gathered at Dave and Julie's that afternoon, for a barbecue lunch, the traditional chocolate cake and present unwrapping.

"I love _The Wizard of Oz_", Ellie giggled excitedly, as Retta pinned the birthday crown (something Nathan had brought home for his niece the night before, presenting it to at the breakfast table that morning) to her hair, sliding it into the braids. "This is gonna be the best birthday, right Daddy?"

"I don't know, baby, you're going to have to give me the verdict when we get home!" he played along. "We'll be back around ten, ten thirty", he told his housemates, giving Sophie a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Don't wait up".

"Have fun!"

Ellie hopped off the table, her shoes buckled to her feet, taking her father's hand. "Bye!" she said excitedly.

"See ya munchkin!" Carbo accepted the hug Ellie threw around his waist, peppering her cheek with kisses and making her squeal.

"Have fun, bugalug", Nathan said seriously. Ellie hugged him, smacking a kiss to his cheek, with a whispered, "Wish you could come too, Uncle Nathan".

"Bye Sophie! Bye Aunty Sammy, I love you Aunty Retta!" she gave them all quick hugs, before joining hands with her father one more time. "Quick, Daddy, we've gotta go!"

Buckling her into the backseat of his little yellow car, he smiled as a stream of endless chatter spewed from his child's mouth.

She had been a performer since she could walk, making up little dances and able to sing along to almost every song she heard (at the age of three, Bon Jovi was her favourite). She had been begging to be enrolled in the local dance studio since for the past six weeks, and Ben promised that as soon as the studio was accepting enrollments, she would be there. Ben was absolutely positive that, after the show that night, Ellie would announce that the stage would be hers one day.

And he had no doubt that it would be- she was determined to make her dreams come true.

* * *

The shine in her big blue eyes had made his night, as Ellie beamed at the stage, a wide-eyed wonder. She had giggled as Glinda floated onto the stage in her bubble to begin 'No One Mourns the Wicked', flinched as the flying monkeys came into view, gasped as Elphaba rose into the air during 'Defying Gravity' and mastered the words of 'Popular' after only hearing it once.

Clutching the soundtrack in one of her little hands, Ben swung her onto her shoulders so she stayed with him as they left the theatre.

"Daddy it was so cool!" she gasped. "One day I wanna be in a show like that. I wanna sing and dance".

"Do you wanna be Glinda or Elphaba?"

"I like Glinda, she's really pretty, but Elphaba's not a bad guy. I gotta tell Uncle Nathan! Uncle Nathan told me she was the bad guy! I don't think he's gonna believe me… but Daddy, I didn't like the flying monkeys. Not really- but neither did Uncle Carbo! Can we listen to it in the car, Daddy?"

"Of course we can!" he squeezed her tiny feet gently and she giggled.

"Can we get ice cream too?"

He wasn't about to deny the child ice cream on her birthday, stopping at a McDonalds drive through to get her the strawberry sundae that she loved.

By the time they pulled into the driveway on the Karandonis Castle, they had been through the entire soundtrack, and Ellie was sleepily content in her booster seat, singing along with a surprisingly strong voice for a five year old.

"_Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea, like a seed dropped by a sky bird in a distant wood. Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you… I have been changed for good_".

"Come on, bubs", he said gently, opening the backseat and lifting her into his arms. It was way past her bedtime, and he knew that there was no chance of her lasting much longer.

But, as usual, Ellie was full of surprises.

"Hey Dorothy!" Nathan said cheerfully, greeting his brother and niece at the door.

"Uncle Nathan!" Ellie whipped her head off her father's shoulder. "You were wrong! The Wicked Witch is a good guy! She's called Elphaba. One day, I'm gonna be in _Wicked_. When I am, are you gonna come and see me?"

"I'm guessing Dorothy had a good time?" Sammy said from the lounge, where her head was resting in Nathan's lap.

"Bugalug knows all the words and is determined that one day, we're going to see her name in lights", Ben told her, laughing a little, as Ellie scrambled out of his arms.

"Daddy can I have the book? Please please pretty please?"

The soundtrack and program had been purchased for the little girl, and were fast becoming her favourite birthday presents.

Suddenly wide awake, Ellie sat in between Sammy and Carbo, showing them the program, pointing out her favourite moments in the show and singing her favourite songs. She talked until her eyes grew heavy, her voice turning into mumbles.

"Time for bed, I think Dorothy", Retta said gently.

"One day, I'm gonna be on stage", Ellie said firmly, kicking off her shoes. "And you guys can come and watch".

"I'll be there every single night", Ben promised his five year old, watching as she kissed everyone goodnight. Lifting her into his arms, she rested her head on his shoulder as the pair headed towards the stairs.

"Daddy?"

"Yes baby?"

"This is the best birthday ever. Thank you for taking me to see _Wicked_".

"You're welcome, gorgeous. I'm glad you had fun". He kissed her forehead gently, and she smiled, kissing his nose gently.

"I love you".

"Love you too baby".


	24. Chapter 24

**Little Miss Ellie's really growing up! Just picture, my dear readers and reviewers, Ben standing there, arguing with a little girl with double the temper he ever had to deal with. I've written a chapter where this kiddo's fourteen, and Ben is slowly but surely losing his mind.  
Read and review!  
Love Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

Smiling at the neatly ironed school dress, he hung it off the door handle, Ben turned to his five year old.

"Alright, Ellie Rose, bedtime!"

"What?" Ellie looked up from her colouring book and pencils. "Now?"

"Yes, now", he nodded. "School tomorrow!"

"You were so excited about it before!" Ben's shoulders slumped, making Retta giggle.

(They had all tagged along for Ruby's first day of school- the whole family. While Ruby had been excited, kissing and hugging them all goodbye, there had been other kids clutching onto their parents, screaming and sobbing, and he had hoped and prayed that his Ellie Rose was not going to be one of those kids.)

"I wanna go to school", Ellie assured him. "But why do I gotta go to bed now?"

If he let her, Ellie would stay up long past midnight- she had done it before. But there was no way he was putting up with the attitude that had followed, the next afternoon.

(Sammy had giggled and told him that she was simply prepping him for her teenage years and Ben had had to sit down.)

* * *

"Daddy".

"Mmm?"

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Daddy get up its important!"

Ben sat up as if he had just been shot out of a canon. "What happened?"

"I made a d'cision", Ellie said prissily, climbing into the bed beside her father and pulling the blankets over her bare legs. "I don't wanna go to school".

Her father blinked in confusion- all he knew that was his daughter had woken him up when it was still dark, and his daughter should not be awake at that time of the morning.

(In his opinion, no one should be awake at that time of the morning.)

"Wait, what?" he yawned.

"I don't want to go to school today, I wanna go to work with you like I do sometimes". Ellie nodded, resting her head on his pillow.

"You've gotta go to school, baby". And he pulled the blanket over himself once more, placing his head back on the pillow and closing his eyes.

"But I don't wanna".

"You know what, Ell?" he said, the idea popping into his head like a light bulb. "How 'bout you go and tell Uncle Nathan? Maybe he'll let you go to work with him today instead".

"'Kay!"

Ellie jumped off the bed, her bare feet hitting the carpet and running off to find her uncle.

He had to admit, it was mean. But the amount of times Nathan had done it to him… it was his kid, but it didn't mean that he wanted her to be brought into his bedroom before dawn.

It was simply payback.

He had at least forty five more minutes of sleep, before he heard a thump from the hallway.

"I really dislike you", Nathan grumbled from the doorway, the five year old dangling from his arms, her head on his shoulder. "Like, to the point where you should drop dead".

"Good morning mate!" Ben played along. "What did Uncle Nathan say, Ell, are you allowed to go to work with him?"

"No", Ellie grumbled. "He said I hadta go to school with Ruby".

"Aw, bubba!" laughing, he took his five year old in his arms, tickling her tummy and making her squeal with laughter. If he had it his way, his little girl would stay home with him and be his baby girl forever, but it wasn't going his way.

* * *

"Froot Loops for brekky, Ell?"

"Froot Loops", Ellie nodded. "That's Uncle Carbo's favourite, right?"

"Right", Carbo agreed, taking a handful of dry cereal from the box and nibbling cheerfully.

(Ben vividly remembered his best mate vowing that he would only be eating 'manly, nutritious' things, right before the birth of his baby sister, choosing a slice of wholemeal toast, smothered in strawberry jam, rather than the cereal. That vow had been thrown out the window when he realised that Julie Rafter was actually in labour, and he had said nothing more about it since.)

Ellie stirred her cereal cheerfully, watching as her housemates filtered in and out of the kitchen, preparing for her first day of school. Ben and Nathan were on lunch duty, as they pondered over what the little girl would like. '

"Ham and cheese", Nathan said, taking the respective packages out of the fridge, naming the sandwich she asked him to make when he was on lunch making duty.

"Vegemite's my favourite", Ellie called, contradicting the blonde and he stared.

"What?"

"Ham and cheese is only good when Uncle Nathan makes it. I can't eat it if Uncle Nathan's not there", Ellie said to Sophie, the little girl giggling in her high chair.

(Nathan had never been able to understand the logic of that little girl, and he knew from that moment on that there was no chance of that ever happening.)

"Hold still, Ell, I'll braid your hair", Retta said gently, picking up a comb and a brush, and Ellie leaned against the chair, her hair in tangles.

"Ready for school, Ellie?" Sammy said, sounding more excited than the five year old was.

"No… Uncle Nathan won't let me go to work with him". She folded her arms grumpily. "And Daddy said that I couldn't go to work with him, too".

"Aw, munchkin!" she had to laugh.

But by the time her backpack was packed, her hair was braided, her school dress was zipped up the back and her school shoes were buckled, she was excited.

"Come on Daddy, we've gotta go!" she yelled, standing at the front door.

"We're coming, bubs!" Ben called back, picking up Sophie to buckle her into the car seat.

It was quite an effort, buckling the bouncing five year old into her booster seat, Ben found out, as he struggled to click the seatbelt in. "gorgeous, you've got to settle down, or we won't be able to get there!"

"I told you the van was a good idea", Carbo beamed at his housemates, as he did every time they even contemplated sitting in the huge vehicle.

It was quite the procession, they found out, as they drove to the primary school. They followed Dave and Julie, with six year old Ruby ready to start her second year of primary school, a big girl in first grade. Ted and Chel, as they had the year before, tagged along, with Jake, Rachel, Shelby, Harry and cousin Coby taking Rachel's car, meeting them at the school.

"It's like a clown car", Coby said in amusement, watching as the inhabitants of the Calamari Castle piled out of the van. "Ready for school, Ell?"

"Yeah!"

Her excitement levels had definitely risen since waking up that morning, Ben noted, as she rushed to say goodbye to everyone. Ruby promised to find her at recess and lunch, to introduce her to all her friends that Ellie had met at her birthday party the year before.

"Uncle Carbo, are you crying?" Ellie accused, her hands on her hips, as Nathan burst into laughter.

"Don't worry, bubba, its just raining on my face", Carbo sniffled, using the same excuse he had used way too many times over the years (the first, Ben remembered, being his wedding).

"Be a good girl, Ell", Ben whispered into her ear, kneeling down to hug her properly. "Tell me all about it when you get home, 'kay?"

"Love you Daddy", Ellie whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose.

"She's no baby any more", Ben mused, watching his daughter disappear up the stairs of her classroom, a bounce in her step.

"One small step for man, one huge step for Rafter kind", Nathan quoted his older brother directly from Ruby's first birthday party and they all laughed.


	25. Chapter 25

**I lost my two front teeth at the same time- my older brothers' were devastated, because the Tooth Fairy left me double! Love to hear some feedback, read and review!  
Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

"Daddy!" Ellie squealed, running into her father's arms, full force. "Daddy, Daddy, look!"

"What am I looking at?" he wanted to know, and Ellie pointed frantically at her mouth, being lifted into her father's arms.

"My tooth's movin'! Look at it! Look Daddy!"

He gently wiggled her front tooth and she giggled.

"It's movin', Daddy!"

"You're not a baby any more, Ellie", he smiled, kissing the tip of her nose. "You're going to be our toothless terror before we know it… good God".

"Is Ellie gonna be toothless?" Nathan called, a grin on his face. But then his smile darkened, as he glared at his brother. "Do you remember how I lost my first tooth, Benjamin?"

"Vaguely… didn't you fall and it got knocked out?"

"Didn't I get PUSHED and it got knocked out?" he accused, poking Ben in the chest.

"Don't poke Daddy", Ellie snapped, smacking his hand away.

"Aw, thank you, baby!" Ben was delighted. "I've got myself a little protector, Nath!"

"Ellie, your daddy pushed me off the slide when we were little and my tooth fell out!" Nathan protested, hoping to rack up some sympathy with the five year old.

"Don't play the sympathy card", Ben warned him. "It doesn't work with Carbo, its not gonna work with you".

"Yeah!" Ellie crossed her arms, beaming at her father.

(It was times like that where Nathan wished the little girl wasn't so like his older brother. Sweet and caring one moment, bitterly evil, her devil horns showing the next. That was Ellie in a nutshell.)

"The tooth fairy's gonna come, isn't she?" Ellie said confidently as Ben dropped her to her feet.

"When it falls out, yes", he agreed.

(He wondered who would be game enough to dress up as the tooth fairy- his grandfather was Santa every Christmas Eve, but he highly doubted that Ted would be willing to don a tutu and wand just to place a coin under his great granddaughter's pillow. Carbo as the more appropriate option, he decided.)

* * *

"Ellie, leave your tooth alone", Nathan told her at dinner, as the little girl wiggled it, having abandoned her knife and fork.

"Aunty Retta, what's going to make it fall out faster?" she wanted to know, letting go of her loose tooth and resuming the use of her fork.

"I don't know, Ellie…" Retta sounded uncertain, because one wrong answer could result in death glares from Ben.

"When you finish dinner, you can have a lolly", Carbo decided (he had known Ben since they were kids, and death stares didn't scare him. Any more). "Maybe even two. I'll have two".

"The dinosaur ones?"

"What other lollies do we have in this house?" Carbo said curiously, and Retta, Ben, Sammy and Nathan glanced at him.

(Ellie was yet to discover the stash of chocolate and lollies that they ate while watching movies, the two little girls long tucked into their beds.)

"One of the dinosaur ones", he agreed.

Ellie grinned, wiggling the tooth with her tongue.

"Don't play with your tooth, Ellie".

"'Kay Uncle Nathan".

* * *

There was a high pitched scream from the bathroom, and Ben sprinted to see what had happened (he had left her alone to brush her teeth for five seconds, to change the sheets on her bed, and suddenly, the house was full of shrieking).

Ellie held up her bloodstained fist triumphantly, blood trickling down her mouth, mixing with the toothpaste foam and water and leaving her face a mess.

"Daddy, my tooth came out!"

"It looks like you killed someone!" Ben's eyes widened, as he went to take the tooth from his daughter. He was surprised at exactly how tiny it was, as he rinsed the blood off it in the sink, placing it carefully on the edge of the basin before taking a tissue and wiping blood from her daughter's face.

"Oh my God, what happened?" Sammy said in a panic, rushing into the bathroom. "Ellie, are you okay?"

She beamed at her aunt, poking her tongue through the little gap her tooth had left. "Yep!"

"Ellie, you're getting blood everywhere!" Ben scolded gently, dabbing at her mouth with a tissue. Sammy quickly snatched up a wad of toilet paper, taking over Ben's job, the little girl spitting out a mixture of blood and the remains of toothpaste foam into the sink.

The tooth clearly wasn't ready to come out, Ben realised, as the pair tried to clean up his daughter and get her ready for bed- stripping her of her blood splattered pyjamas (making a mental note to start soaking them immediately- sounding exactly like this mother) and fishing another pair from her drawer. But it had come out nonetheless, and his five year old was sporting a gap in her teeth alignment.

Giggling, Ellie carefully placed the tooth in a zip lock bag (knowing his luck, Ben would lose the tiny object under her pillow and wouldn't end up waking her up, subjecting her to the realization that the tooth fairy- and Santa Claus- weren't real), placing it under her pillow, before kissing her housemates good night.

"When's the tooth fairy gonna come, Daddy?"

"Not until you're asleep", he told her and she smiled, resting her head against the pillow.

"Love you Daddy".

"Love you too, Ellie".

Right before he went to bed, he slipped a shiny two dollar coin under her pillow, kissing her forehead gently before adjusting her blankets. That tiny gap in her pearly white baby teeth was a stinging reminder that Ellie Rose was no longer a baby.

* * *

**Best wishes to those and their families who were affected in the Quakers Hill Nursing Home fire today, our hearts go out to you...**


	26. Chapter 26

**Wow, its been a while! I'm very very very sorry for the delay, I hope there are still people reading this! Please leave me a review and tell me what you think, **

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

"Daddy", Ellie said seriously, approaching her father with her hands on her hips, "Can you help me ride my bike?"

"You know how to ride your bike, baby", Ben said gently, shoving aside the mountain of work he had been putting off and lifting her onto his knee.

"Without training wheels".

"Oh".

Ben had been four years old the first time had learned how to ride a bike without training wheels- that had resulted in a scar that was still visible on his right knee. Teaching Ellie how to ride a bike was at the top of his list...

But had been in plaster for six weeks after falling off the trampoline. Removing the training wheels from her bike could either be a really good move (she might be a natural, he never knew) or it could be a really bad move (resulting in another trip to the emergency room).

"How about we take a picnic tomorrow?" he suggested (it was Friday night, and after a week of school, Ellie more often than not crashed long before her bedtime. During the first week she spent at school, she came home and had a nap in her Winnie the Pooh chair, amazing her father and housemates). "Its getting pretty late, by the time I take off the training wheels it'll be too dark to see!"

"Yeah, Ell, you might wrap yourself around the phone pole out the front- or end up in the fountain!" Carbo gasped dramatically, making Ellie gasp at his theatrics.

"That was you, mate", Ben reminded him with a chuckle.

"Okay", Ellie agreed cheerfully. "Can we take off the training wheels now?"

"I suppose we can", he nodded, taking her hand and leading her towards the garage.

Nathan and Carbo, with little Sophie in tow, were quick to follow- the boys were left alone with the two little girls, as both Sammy and Retta escaped the madhouse for the day.

"Hi Ben!" Ruby waved excitedly over the fence at her big brother, her head covered in a bike helmet. "Guess what? Dad's teaching me how to ride a bike!"

(Suddenly, it all fell into place. Ellie and Ruby were the best of friends, but being so close in age, they had an almost sibling rivalry between them.)

"Really?" Nathan said seriously. "I bet you're really good at that, Rubes".

"I am, Nathan!" Ruby agreed. "Really, really good!"

"Daddy's gonna teach me tomorrow", Ellie said determinedly. "Right, Daddy?"

Carbo twirled one of Sophie's baby curls around his finger. "Natho, I think we need to make a bet".

"Twenty bucks that Rubes learns how to ride a bike successfully before Ellie does", Nathan said quietly, so that neither little girl (or his older brother) would hear him.

"I have more faith in Ellie", Carbo said, and both Ellie and Ben turned to face him.

"We haven't been really riding", Dave said quickly, poking his head over the fence. "She won't let me let go of the bike". "

"I don't wanna fall!" Ruby protested.

"Daddy won't let me fall", Ellie said smugly, patting Ben's chest. "Will you Daddy?"

"You're totally on", Nathan mumbled, shaking hands with the man.

And with that, the bet was settled.

* * *

"It's gonna be a good day, right Daddy?" Ellie chattered cheerfully, as Ben lifted her bike into the van (they had gone ahead and were making a full family day of it). "We're gonna play cricket and I'm gonna ride my bike and Uncle Nathan and me can play on the swings-"

"Uncle Nathan can do what?" Nathan wanted to know.

"Play on the swings!" she enthused.

Nathan loved his nieces and baby sister dearly, he would do anything for them, but after an afternoon at the park with all of them (and Ted and Chel, supervisors), he had been in a lot of pain. Swinging Ellie, Ruby and Shelby into the air and making them squeal, pushing Harry and Sophie on the swings, listening to them giggle.

"The swings are his favourite", Sammy beamed at him, and Nathan glared.

"Of course we'll play on the swings", he told the little girl soothingly.

Nathan glared at Sammy like she was the worst person on the earth, but the hug Ellie wrapped around his legs made him feel on top of the world.

* * *

"Daddy, can we ride my bike now?" Ellie called, waving her tiny five year old size cricket bat (a hot pink grip around the handle) around, waiting for Carbo to gently bowl to her (the little girl was growing up in a house where three men loved cricket, and there was no way that she was not going to learn the sport).

"Alright, alright", Ben gave in, and they retreated from the field. Picking up the bike, he waited for Ellie to climb onto the seat before wheeling her over to the marked track (Ellie jamming on the brakes every two paces, making Ben shudder to a stop).

"Ready to go, babe?" he wanted to know, and she nodded enthusiastically, grinning cheesily at Retta's ever-present camera.

"I'll tell you when to let go", Ellie told her father, as Ben held her tight.

"Ready?"

"'Kay, go Daddy!"

Ben took off, holding her tight and pushing his daughter down the paved bike track. "Pedal, bubs!"

"Let go!" she squealed, and Ben let go, watching her little feet pedal as fast as she could. She was flying, giggling hysterically, as the path wound around the grass. But then he saw her starting to lean…

"Ellie! Brake! Put the brakes on!" he shrieked, taking off after the tiny girl.

Tumbling onto the grass with such impact that both Carbo and Nathan winced, she detangled herself from the bike, giggling. "Daddy! Did you see me? I nearly did it!"

"You've just gotta learn how to stop", Ben agreed, picking up the bike and dusting the little girl off. "Nothing broken? No? Just bruises? Good job, kid".

"Good job, Ell!" Sammy complimented, and Ellie giggled as Carbo and Nathan lifted her into the air, setting her on their shoulders.

(if Nathan lifted them onto his shoulders, Ben reasoned, it was his own fault he complained about a bad back.)

"Let's go again!"

"Let's go", Ben decided, standing the bike up and waiting for the little girl to clamber onto the seat.

By the end of the day, the little girl's legs were splotched black and blue with bruises, and her lip was puffy from a particularly splendid fall ("Ben, oh my God, people are going to think she's abused!" "No one's going to think Daddy's little princess over there is abused- he piggybacked the whole way home from school yesterday!"), but Ellie could successfully ride a bike.

It was just one more thing Ben could check off his list as a father.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chicken pox sucks- that's all I have to say. I had it the year before I started school, catching it from my two older brothers, and the year I started high school, from my two younger brothers. Please leave a review!**

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

For the first week of her schooling life, Ellie Rafter had come home and had a nap her chair in the lounge room, the madness of their household not even enough to wake her up. But as she settled into the routine, she retrained her body to stay awake all hours of the night.

So Ben's eyes nearly fell out of his head when he came into her bedroom to check on the very quiet girl and found her face down on the bed, her legs hanging off the end. She was fast asleep, snoring and all, obviously not even having the energy to lift herself the rest of the way onto the mattress.

He chuckled and lifted her onto the pillow, his hand brushing over her forehead. She wasn't particularly warm, but her cheeks were pinker than normal. He tossed the worries aside, covering her up lightly with the blanket on the chair.

Life moved on.

But the next day, while wiping down the bar at the boat club, he received a phone call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mr Rafter?"

"Yes?" Ben said warily, wondering what Carbo could have used his name for again.

"This is Mrs Stacey at Carrs Park Primary School, your daughter Ellie has been sent to the sick bay by her class teacher-"

"What? Is she okay?"

"She's got all the symptoms for chicken pox- and it has been passed around the school in the past two weeks".

Ben groaned- he remembered the great Rafter chicken pox epidemic of '94 like it was yesterday. Two weeks of itchy, scabby red spots, calamine lotion… the only part about it he liked was the ice cream and the time off school. Other than that, he had hated every moment.

And now his poor baby girl had to go through the same thing.

"I'll be there soon", he promised. "I'll come and pick her up". Putting his phone away, he poked his head into the kitchen, where Emily was manning the dishwasher. "hey Em?"

"What's up?" she said with a smile.

"Would you be able to cover for me, for half an hour? Max? Please?"

"You're the boss". She saluted him. "Is Ellie okay?"

"She's being sent home, apparently there's some sort of chicken pox epidemic going around?" he shrugged. "first I've heard of it. I'll be back as soon as I can, Sammy's at home. She doesn't work on Wednesdays".

Speeding to the school, he sprinted into the office.

"Hi Mr Rafter", a young woman said with a smile. "Ellie, sweetie-"

"Ell, chicken pox?" Ben said incredulously, as Ellie wrapped her arms around her father's waist.

"We gonna go home, Daddy?" she asked pitifully and Ben laughed, lifting her into his arms.

"Yes we are. I'd take you to work with me, but I'm not exposing Em to chicken pox. You know, the last time you had a cold you gave it to her?"

There was nothing more Ellie loved than going to work with her father, spending the days colouring in or playin with toys in the bistro area, her father and his co-workers able to keep an eye on her. Everyone knew her, and everyone loved her. After school, she would often find herself at the tables, nibbling on her snack with Emily- her favourite.

"Am I goin' home with Aunty Sammy?"

"Yeah, Sam's at home- come on kiddo, let me sign you out and then we'll head home". He pressed a kiss to her forehead, lowering her to the ground once more and signing the green slip. "Thanks for that".

"No problem- get better, Ellie!" the teacher laughed and Ellie cracked a smile.

"I will".

Strapping her into the backseat of the car, he drove her to their house, where Sammy greeted them out the front.

"What's the go?" she questioned. "I thought you weren't meant to be coming home until six. Wasn't Julie having the girls for this afternoon?"

"Change of plan- chicken pox".

Ellie grinned sheepishly. "Hi Aunty Sammy".

"Oh, Ellie", Sammy laughed, as the little girl wrapped her arms around her waist. "What do you say, girly? A day of princess movies, just the two of us? Benno, are you staying?"

"I left Em in charge, I should get back there- but I'll knock off early. Text me if you want me to bring home dinner".

"I've got a stir fry down pat". Sammy grinned, looking proud of herself.

"For the girl who's crap in the kitchen, you produce more edible dinners than the four of us put together", Ben commented. "Are you sure you're right with her? Let me know if you want me to come home".

"We'll be fine, Ben".

He kissed her cheek, ruffling Ellie's hair. "Be good for Aunty Sam, okay baby? And don't scratch your spots!"

* * *

"Everyone's had chicken pox, right?" Ben checked later that night, after he had tucked his scratching daughter into bed (while she had been fine when she was sitting with Sammy, she had gone into full on 'I want Daddy' mode the moment Ben walked in the door and had refused to leave his side for more than five seconds). "Sammy, Retta? Natho had them when I had them, and Carbo had them when you went to Greece, right?"

"Absolutely". Carbo nodded, as did the other three.

"Good, so it's just the girls we've got worry about- Soph's gonna get it, sorry Retta.

"And Rubes", Nathan reminded him. "Ruby's gonna get it, if not before Soph. They spend every waking minute together".

"And Shelb and Harry", Sammy added. "The barbecue last weekend? They were all exposed to it, if Ellie had been".

"This is gonna be fun", Ben said, plastering a fake smile on his face and making Retta snort with laughter.

* * *

"Emily!" Ellie said in surprise, looking at the girl at the door.

Emily grinned, holding out something wrapped in pink. "Hey Ellie!"

"Emily, it's not my birthday", Ellie said in confusion- but she accepted the gift.

"I know, kiddo, but your daddy told me you're sick. And everyone likes presents when they're sick, don't they?" she followed the little girl into the house, watching as she plopped back into her chair. Tearing into the gift, she beamed at the older girl.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome- I'm going to miss having you at the club while you're sick! Who am I meant to talk to when I'm on my break?"

"You have to talk to Daddy, now", Ellie decided, wrapping her arms around the older girl. "Or Liam. He's nice, Em".

"Yeah, but its not going to be as fun as talking to you!" Emily reached out to tickle the little girl and Ellie squealed with laughter, falling into her arms.

(More than once, Ellie had hinted to her father that he should marry her- she's a princess, she had explained, as if her opinion was the only one that mattered.)

"Guess who's broken out in spots!" Carbo announced from the top of the stairs, Sophie toddling down in front of him. The eighteen month old lifted up her pyjamas shirt, exposing a mess of tiny red dots across her tummy. Ellie sighed, turning to Emily.

"I hate chicken pox".

* * *

It took a full eleven days from the day that Ellie was sent home from school, for all the spots to clear from both little girls. It was one of the many illnesses that they would encounter in their lives, and Ben and Retta and Carbo were glad they could tick it off early.

"The great chicken pox epidemic for the Calamari Castle is over, then", Ben observed, passing a piece of toast to Ellie. "no more spots, thank God".

They continued with breakfast in silence- a rarity in that house- when Sammy spoke up.

"Carbo, what's that on your cheek?" Sammy leaned closer.

Retta turned her head towards him. "Baby, what's on your face?"

"They're chicken pox", Nathan announced.

"I've had chicken pox! You can't get them twice!" he shrieked in indignation.

Nathan stared- they had been telling him the opposite for the two weeks the girls were sick. "Yes you can, mate".

"Oh good God, now he's got chicken pox". Ben shook his head in disgust. "Kill me now".

Ellie complained when she was sick. Retta and Sammy and Nathan and Sophie complained when they were sick. He knew he whined when he was sick- he had dragged himself and his doona over to the house next door, falling onto the lounge and complaining to his mother. But Carbo was ten times worse when he was sick.

"Call your mother", Sammy advised, a grin on her face. Phone calls to Rita were always hilarious, as long as they weren't the ones on the receiving end.

"Don't look at me!" Retta held her hands up in alarm. "I'm going to go and get dressed… chicken pox…" shaking her head, she advanced towards the stairs. "Let me know how that one goes, baby".

Grumbling, Carbo picked up the phone, Ellie and Ben leaning on their elbows in identical poses, listening intently for the outburst.

"He had chicken pox when we were kids, didn't he?" Nathan checked with Ben, and the older brother nodded.

"We had them here, he got them in Greece. The same summer".

"What do you mean, I never had chicken pox?" Carbo's voice raised in pitch, as Ben and Ellie watched on in interest. "Of course I did! I had them when we were in Greece… allergies? Yaya told me it was chicken pox! Don't insult Yaya like that, Mum. Never had chicken pox… friggin' wonderful. Bye Mum. I've gotta go Mum, I'm busting to go to the toilet! Yes, I'll kiss Sophie for you. And Ellie, yes. Yes, I love you too, Mum".

He put the phone down and faced his housemates. "I've never had chicken pox".

"Uncle Carbo's got chicken pox!" Ellie squealed delightedly, running towards the stairs. "Aunty Retta! He's got chicken pox!"

Carbo slumped on the chair grumpily, folding his arms across his chest and glared at the little girl accusingly. Giggling, she thundered up the carpeted steps.


	28. Chapter 28

**Happy birthday Ellie! **

**Read and review, **

**Rhyleigh xoxox**

* * *

_**You are cordially invited to**_

_**Ellie's 6th birthday high tea**_

_**24th August at the Calamari Castle**_

_**Dress to impress**_

_**RSVP by August 20th**_

_**See you there!**_

"Happy birthday baby!" Ben sang, as Ellie came stood at the top of the stairs, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Come here, gorgeous!"

With her arms out, she took the stairs three at a time, throwing herself at her father. Holding her off the ground, he spun the little girl around.

"Happy birthday gorgeous girl", he whispered, kissing her cheek. "Ready to party?"

Ellie, at six years old, had requested a birthday party with all her friends from school, and her family birthday party had been shifted from the day of her birth to the night before. All her presents had been opened, and she had consumed her weight in chocolate cake (bouncing off the walls with Ruby, before crashing beside her father, unable to be woken).

But it wasn't just a party, she had said so many times. it was a princess high tea.

(Ben had to relay it by Sammy just to get an idea what Ellie was on about).

But a princess high tea was the thing on the cards.

They were giving up the Calamari Castle for the day, in order for a dozen little girls to live their princess dreams.

They had spent the night before blowing up balloons (Nathan complaining how he almost popped a lung- Ben found it necessary to beat him over the head with a pink balloon), stringing multicoloured streamers through the house. And of course, the infamous birthday banner brought out for every birthday.

"Happy birthday munchkin!" Carbo sang, as Sammy flipped a pancake over. "Ready for the party?"

"I've got my costume ready", Nathan added cheerfully, pouring the little girl a glass of juice.

Ellie turned to her father. "Daddy, why is Uncle Nathan wearing a costume?"

"He's coming to the party, baby, unfortunately, we just can't kick Uncle Nathan out. I mean, we'd like to, but he lives here".

Nathan looked wounded. "After all the things I've done for the kid- I'm wearing a penguin suit-"

"Uncle Nathan, it's a princess party, you can't wear a penguin suit!" Ellie was horrified, as every adult in the house dissolved into laughter. "Don't laugh, Aunty Sammy!"

* * *

Getting Ellie Rafter to sit still on a normal day was hard. But when she was expecting a dozen of her closest friends and family for her birthday party?

Downright impossible.

"Ellie!" Sammy scolded, for what seemed like the seven thousandth time. "Babe, I'm going to end up poking your eye out!"

"Ruby!" Sophie squealed, as the little girl made her way into the house.

And from that moment on, the house was in full on party mode. Ben finished slicing the crusts off the tiny finger sandwiches, Carbo finished buttering the teacake (a job he really imagined he'd have), Nathan blew up more balloons (complaining all the way), and Retta and Sammy finished making up the girls (glittery eyelids and lip gloss was all little Ellie, Sophie, Shelby and Ruby needed, but they made a big show out of it). Tiaras were put in place, as Ellie's guests started to arrive, bearing presents.

Six was a big age, Ellie had informed her father the night before, as she ate her chocolate cake and ice cream. She was really growing up.

And didn't he know it. He wasn't quite sure when she stopped asking him to check under the bed for monsters- but she had stopped. He wasn't quite sure when she stopped colouring outside the lines. He wasn't quite sure when his daughter grew up…

And yet it happened right before his eyes.

"Make a wish, birthday girl", he whispered to her, as he carried the cake to the table.

Ellie squeezed her eyes shut, deep in thought, as the little girls around her chorused out the birthday song they all knew so well. Basking in the glow of the candles, she puffed them out, grinning up at her father.

"Best birthday ever?" he checked, as Sammy slid the cake towards her to cut it up.

"Best birthday ever", she confirmed, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his nose. "Love you Daddy".

"Love you more", he whispered, holding her tight.


	29. Chapter 29

**Read and review!**

* * *

The summer holidays were drawing to a close, and the mishmash Rafter/Karandonis family made their way home from the beach. Retta had acquired a severe sunburn (Carbo used two and a half bottles of Banana Boat aloe vera spray, soaking her to the bone in the cooling spray), while Ellie's skin had tanned nicely. But apparently, two weeks at the beach wasn't enough for Nathan and Sammy, and they drove away for a day trip.

"Dad, when's Uncle Nathan gonna come back?" Ellie wanted to know, leaning on her elbows at the kitchen table. "He promised he'd watch The Wizard of Oz with me!"

"He'll probably come back late tonight, Ell", Ben said, as he placed a plate in front of her.

"I wish I coulda gone too".

"They're boring, Ell, I bet you had more fun here", Ben said, ruffling her hair and taking a seat beside her. She grinned, leaning against him as she picked up her fork.

"Prob'ly".

As Ellie lay on the lounge (her bedtime temporarily forgotten for the holidays), dozing in and out of sleep in front of the movie she and Carbo were watching, the phone rang, making her jolt.

Ben grabbed it on his way past, plopping down on the seat beside his daughter. "Hello?"

"Hey Ben, its Nathan!" the younger Rafter said brightly. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"Actually, can you go over to Mum's and call me back?"

"Dude it's like nine o'clock, what is it? Also, Ellie's not talking to you because you didn't watch The Wizard of Oz like you promised". He grinned, almost seeing his brother's face fall.

"They're old, but they're not that old. Just go over there and call me back!"

"They're coming over here", Ben decided, before hanging up on his brother. Calling the neighbouring family over (little Ruby padding over in her pyjamas and slippers), he called him back and put the phone on speaker.

"Hey guys, guess what?" Sammy called, and Julie looked at Ben expectantly.

"Hey, don't look at me, I don't know what they're raving on about!" he protested, and Retta giggled.

"Just guess!"

"Sammy's pregnant?" Rachel said over Ben's speakerphone (with their three kids on bed, Rachel had firmly told her younger brother that he was completely insane when he told her to come over).

"I am not pregnant", Sammy said, trying to bite back her laughter. "Nathan, just tell them".

"No, you tell them!"

"Just freaking tell us before I hang up on you", Ben warned.

"Ben!" Dave smacked his chest, making Ellie and Retta giggle.

"We got married!"

There were several screams (Ben wasn't even sure who they were from) and Rachel shrieked through the phone.

"And I didn't get invited? I'm your favourite sister!"

"Hey!" Ruby protested.

"Your favourite big sister!"

"Why didn't I get invited?" Ellie questioned, her mouth an inch away from the mouthpiece of the phone. "You promised I'd get to be a flower girl like at Uncle Carbo's and Aunty Retta's wedding!"

"Ooh, Nathan!" Carbo chuckled. "Congratulations! Also, this is the second promise you've broken to a six year old in the space of twelve hours!"

"I didn't even get to wear my penguin suit!" Jake protested, and Retta's eyebrows furrowed questioning.

"You hate the penguin suit", Ruby reminded him.

"I know! That's not the point!" Jake defended himself to his tiny sister in law. "It's the point of the matter, Ruby Louise, the point!"

After a few moments of more screaming and cheering and congratulating the couple, they hung up (on both Nathan and Sammy and Jake and Rachel), Ben turned to his parents.

"Well, half of us are married, Mum. Again".

(Although Nathan and Sammy had had the big wedding before their divorce, Ben had expected more than a phone call to say they were eloping. He thought maybe their family and Sammy's parents, but no. not Sammy and Nathan. They went from one extreme to another.)

Julie had laughed and cried in the space of five minutes and wrapped her arms around Ben. "Your time will come, darling".

"I can't believe Uncle Nathan didn't invite me to the wedding!" Ellie turned to her father, absolutely outraged.

"You know what you've got to do now Ell?" Carbo giggled. "You've got to not invite him to your wedding! Not that you're getting married, right baby?"

"Boys are gross".

"Good girl". Ben kissed the top of her head, before lifting her into his arms. "I love you, Ellie belly. You're my number one girl, aren't you?"

"Yes!"


	30. Chapter 30

When Ben's alarm went off, he jammed the snooze button before rolling off the bed, yawning heavily. At four thirty, he knew that it was too early to be considered morning, but yet he and his daughter were getting up.

Because he had promised to take her to the dawn service at the cenotaph.

"Hey Ell", he whispered, kneeling beside her bed and flicking on the lamp. "Ellie, time to get up. Come on babe, time to wake up".

Ellie groaned, pulling the blanket over her head. "No no no".

"Come on, Ellie, this was your idea. Up".

Moaning, she wriggled down further under the blankets, squirming away from her father's cold hands. "No, Daddy, its cold".

"Ellie, remember what we talked about?" Ben said gently, before ripping the blankets off her tiny body. "The soldiers had it a lot worse".

"I know". She pouted, before shivering. "But it's really cold, Daddy".

"I know- I think it's time for long pyjamas, what do you think?"

"Yeah". She nodded sleepily, rubbing her eyes and Ben moved towards her cupboard, pulling out a pair of jeans.

"Jeans?" he questioned and she nodded, slipping her satiny pyjamas short to tug the blue denim up her legs. Buttoning them up, she crawled back onto the bed, while Ben dug through her drawers to find a shirt.

"Ellie!" he scolded. "No, no, baby, we can go back to sleep when we get home. We'll be home early".

She pulled on the t shirt, before tugging her huge hot pink parka over the top (a hand me down from Ruby that she wore to every one of Ben's football games, standing on the sidelines in the cold). As she tugged on her ugg boots, Ben picked up a brush to attack the tangles in her dark hair, before tying it back in two plaits.

"Can I wear my beanie, Daddy?"

"Yeah, you can", he nodded. "Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah, I'll get it". She nodded, yawning.

"Ell, don't go back to bed!" he laughed. "I'm gonna go and get dressed, alright? Can you go and brush your teeth? And don't wake up Aunty Retta and Uncle Carbo, or we'll never hear the end of it".

She chuckled, and Ben left her in her room so he could go and get dressed.

Upon returning he found a minty rim around her mouth as her breathing got deeper, half slumped on the bed.

"Ellie!"

"I'm not sleeping", she mumbled. "I'm blinking".

"That's an awfully slow blink".

"My eyes are open, look". She forced her eyes open, and Ben laughed, hoisting her into his arms.

"Come on, let's go".

* * *

"Daddy, do you know what they always say on Anzac Day? They were talking about it at school but I forget". She leaned forward in her booster seat, struggling against the seatbelt.

"They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old", Ben recited. "at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest we forget".

"Lest we forget", Ellie echoed, remembering the Anzac ceremony she had attended before the school holidays. "and then we hear the trumpet, right?"

"Yeah, and then the bugle plays the Last Post".

Ellie yawned, tucking her hands into her pocket. "I'm excited, Daddy".

"I am too, Ell".

Every year, Dave and Julie would take the three of them down to the dawn service, but he hadn't been to one since Ruby and Ellie were born. So when the little girl approached him, asking if they could go, he had been delighted.

* * *

"Lest we forget", Ellie and Ben said together, and Ben squeezed his daughter's hand proudly.

After the wreaths were laid in front of the cenotaph, the ceremony was dismissed, and Ben lifted Ellie onto his shoulder.

"Are we goin' home now, Daddy?"

"Yeah, we are, babe. You tired?"

She nodded. "Yeah".

"I'll make us some Milo, and then we can have a nap, alright?"

"I bet Uncle Carbo and Aunty Retta are still in bed!" she giggled.

"They probably are!"

Buckling her into the booster seat in the back of the yellow car, Ben drove them back to the Calamari Castle, finding the house in total quiet.

"It's not even seven o'clock!" Ben said in surprise, as he glanced at the clock on the microwave.

"We aren't even meant to be awake!" Ellie said in equal surprise, as Ben dumped an extra scoop of Milo into her mug. "One more, Daddy?"  
"No, that's enough", he told her.

"Oh".

The pair settled down in the lounge room, their mugs of Milo sitting on the coffee table, taking a sip every now and then. But before Ben knew it, Ellie was asleep pressed against his chest, still dressed the way she was for the dawn service.

Shifting her slightly, Ben tugged off her ugg boots before kicking off his sneakers, lying down with the little girl wrapped around his torso. Reaching for the blanket that Retta kept on the recliner, he draped it over the two of them, flicking the television on to watch the Villers-Bretonneux dawn service.

* * *

When Carbo and Retta emerged downstairs, they found the father daughter duo fast asleep with the television running, their hot drinks long gone cold, abandoned.


End file.
